Girls in underserved communities across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are struggling to access sanitary pads, with many resorting to unsafe alternatives such as cloth, tissue paper, or nothing at all during menstruation. Communities including Pigba-Kasa, Waru, Tasha in Apo, and Mechanic Village face worsening menstrual hygiene challenges due to rising poverty, lack of parental support, and the high cost of sanitary products. Favor Hosea, a 17-year-old from Apo, said she has depended on a friend for pads since her father's death and her mother's absence left her in the care of a grandmother unable to afford them. "When I ask for money for pads, nobody cares about it," she said, adding that she stays home during her period when no help is available.
Patience Kingsley from Pigba-Kasa and Ojimadu Victoria, who relies on her aunt for occasional pad purchases, both called for government and individual support. Waliyat Muftau, from Waru, said she has never used sanitary pads since starting her period four years ago because her family cannot afford food, let alone hygiene products. "Some days I miss school because I have nothing to use," she said. Favor Udoji from Tasha alternates between pads and rags due to financial constraints. Many girls reported missing school during menstruation, affecting their education.
Jacinta Auta, a community health practitioner and founder of SheHealed Health and Advocacy Initiative, identified affordability, lack of awareness, and inadequate sanitation facilities as key barriers. She noted that sanitary pads are often seen as a luxury in low-income homes and that the rising cost of products has deepened the crisis. Auta, also convener of the Pad a Girl outreach in Kwali Area Council, emphasized the health risks of using unhygienic materials and called for urgent intervention to support vulnerable girls.
A 17-year-old girl in Apo relies on a friend for sanitary pads because her family cannot afford them, exposing a gap between government welfare promises and ground realities. Girls in FCT communities are using tissue paper and old cloth during menstruation, not due to ignorance but because pads are treated as expendable in households without stable income. When basic hygiene becomes a luxury, education and health outcomes for girls deteriorate silently. The state cannot claim inclusive development while ignoring menstrual poverty in its own capital.
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