Plan International Commends Bauchi State For Establishment Of Free Pad Banks For Girls

Plan International Nigeria hails Bauchi State for pioneering establishment of free pad banks for girls

Plan International, an international non-governmental organisation that promotes girls’ and children’s rights, has commended the Bauchi State House of Assembly for passing a bill to establish sanitary pad banks in schools and community centres across the state.

In a statement , the Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, Charles Emmamuzou Usie, described the event  as “consequential and epoch-making for adolescent girls in Bauchi state, being the first to take this step in the entire country.” READ ALSO : Plan International Nigeria Donates N400 million Worth Of Hospital Equipment

While congratulating the legislators led by the Speaker,  Abubakar  Suleiman, for the historic passage of the bill, he called on the state governor to treat the newly passed bill with the same speed he treated the child protection bill in December 2023.

“The new bill on the establishment of pad banks in schools, when signed into law by the state governor, will help to reduce girls’ absenteeism from school as a result of their lack of funds to buy pads during their menstrual period,” Usie said.

About 500 million women globally lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management (MHM), according to World Bank estimates.

In Nigeria, especially in the northeast region ravaged by insurgency, the poor access to menstrual hygiene products for girls in school is exacerbated by poverty.

From 2021 to 2023, Plan International Nigeria implemented a pilot menstrual health project in Bauchi state where it pioneered the establishment of pad banks for adolescent girls in schools.

It was a successful project as it ensured that more girls in the selected schools, where the project was implemented, continued attending classes despite experiencing their menstrual flow, a departure from the norm before the project.

The project, which was implemented with the active support of the state government, was one of Plan International’s modeling efforts at supporting governments at all levels and highlighting what they could do to fulfil the rights of children, girls, and young women.

“We are excited that this model is now being legislated on by the state, not only for schools but for community and correctional centres. We are equally excited that the success of the Pad Bank intervention has inspired women-led organisations such as the ASHH Foundation and Child is Gold Foundation among others to support the process leading to the passage of the bill.”

“This is a huge leap forward for the protection of girls in Bauchi state and a brighter prospect for their future through continuous learning,”

PR