The EmpowHER Project: Allow us to introduce ourself ;)

In a country where millions struggle daily to meet their most basic needs, menstrual health is often left behind, an unspoken issue buried under layers of poverty, stigma, and silence. In Nigeria, an estimated 47% of the population lives below the international poverty line according to the World Bank, and in rural communities, that percentage is even higher. For countless girls growing up in these environments, something as simple as a sanitary pad is a luxury, unaffordable, unavailable, and ultimately, out of reach. Amid this harsh reality, 37 million girls across Nigeria lack access to safe menstrual products, education, hygiene facilities and support. This is period poverty.

For many of us, menstruation is simply a fact of life. But for too many girls, it is a monthly crisis, marked by shame, and isolation. Some are forced to miss school for days every month, others resort to using unhygienic materials like rags. In some cases, girls are subjected to harmful traditional beliefs that label menstruation as something taboo.

This is the painful reality that gave rise to The EmpowHER Project, a nonprofit I founded in June 2024 with a mission to end period poverty and make menstrual health education accessible to every girl in Nigeria, regardless of where she lives or what she can afford.

Since launching, The EmpowHER Project has reached over 3,500 girls across 13 schools and communities in Nigeria, delivering comprehensive menstrual health talks, distributing more than 3,500 menstrual products including 500 reusable pads to support sustainable solutions. We have grown into a vibrant community of over 60 passionate volunteers, all committed to changing the narrative around periods and showing up for girls in real and meaningful ways. We don’t believe in one-time interventions. We believe in lasting impact. That is why we focus not only on product distribution, but on education, empowerment, and sustainability. We are now actively promoting reusable menstrual pads, a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative that can last up to 3 years.

But beyond the numbers lie the stories, the girls who remind us why this work matters so deeply. One that continues to stay with me is the story of a 19-year-old girl who told us she thought menstruation was punishment for being a ‘bad girl.’ She had gotten her first period years ago but never received any education or reassurance about what was happening to her body. The only explanation she was ever given was wrapped in shame and misinformation. It was not until our outreach to her school that she finally understood what menstruation really was. And sadly, she is not alone.

In fact, what we have come to realise is that the lack of menstrual health education is just as widespread as the lack of menstrual products. In many of the schools we visit, even teachers tell us they had never heard the term period poverty before. Parents often feel unprepared or embarrassed to speak to their daughters and sons about menstruation, and in school curriculums, the topic of menstrual health is barely touched, if mentioned at all. This silence is dangerous. It perpetuates stigma, deepens ignorance and allows harmful myths to thrive.

At The EmpowHER Project, we aim to break this cycle of silence through open, honest, and practical menstrual health education. Our school outreaches involve engaging health talks led by trained volunteers, interactive Q&A sessions, live demonstrations on how to use sanitary pads (both disposable and reusable). i recently authored a menstrual health guidebook, Periods, Pads & Proud. It’s designed to be a lasting resource, something girls can return to again and again, even after we have left their school. Our talks are powerful, but a book becomes a lasting voice. It answers the questions they might be too shy to ask, gently corrects harmful myths, and reminds them that their periods are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. The book will be distributed for free during our school visits. We hope it becomes a step toward seeing menstrual health education integrated into the Nigerian school curriculum.

Health starts in our homes, our classrooms, our communities. And menstrual health, a topic that touches half the global population, should never be an afterthought. It should be foundational.

Elizabeth Aderonke Odukoya

Founder/CEO

The EmpowHER Project