Pad Me A Girl Empowerment Foundation is seeking sustained investment to expand access to sanitary products and help vulnerable girls remain in school.
The foundation made the appeal ahead of the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, marked on October 11, urging governments, schools, businesses and development partners to establish and sustain sanitary pad banks in schools and underserved communities.
Founded on April 3, 2025, the organisation has reached beneficiaries in Abuja, Ogun, Benue and Nasarawa states through sanitary pad distribution, writing materials, menstrual health education and community outreach.
Its interventions have included vulnerable communities and internally displaced persons’ camps in Area 1 Durumi, Abuja; Ortese, Benue State; and Kadarko, Nasarawa State, with more than 15,000 girls and women benefiting.
However, supplies of reusable sanitary pads have reportedly been exhausted in supported communities across the three states, raising concerns about the continuity of assistance to girls and women who depend on the intervention.
Founder of the foundation, Theresa Moses, called for partnerships and donations to replenish supplies and sustain menstrual health support for vulnerable girls.
The foundation warned that period poverty could compound the disadvantages that expose some girls to early marriage. Girls without access to sanitary products may experience embarrassment, stigma and disruptions to their education, potentially limiting their prospects of completing school and achieving financial independence.
Although a lack of sanitary pads does not automatically lead to child marriage, the foundation said menstrual health support should form part of broader efforts to protect girls’ rights, keep them in school and address the conditions that increase their vulnerability.
Its Pad Bank Movement, launched during World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025, seeks to ensure that schools maintain accessible supplies for girls who cannot afford menstrual products.
The foundation is calling for regular replenishment of school pad banks and partnerships with sanitary product manufacturers, businesses and philanthropists to improve access to menstrual products in underserved communities.
It is also advocating age-appropriate menstrual health education for boys to discourage period shaming and promote respect for girls, while urging governments and education authorities to strengthen access to affordable sanitary products, education and child-protection services.
This year’s International Day of the Girl Child theme is “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights!” The foundation said sustained investment in menstrual health and education was necessary to improve opportunities for girls, particularly those living in vulnerable communities.