Reframing Period Poverty: Feminist Innovations and Community Empowerment in Nigeria

                                                                                                                  Photo Credit: Pinterest

Centering women’s agency in the fight against menstrual stigma, economic exclusion, and development inequality.

     Period poverty remains one of the significant issues in Nigeria, affecting millions of women and girls. Many young women, especially those in rural areas, struggle to afford sanitary pads due to the rising cost of living and limited access to menstrual hygiene products. The price of a packet of pads has increased from 250 naira to about 1,200 naira( which is approximately less than, making them unaffordable for women who survive on less than a dollar a day. The inability to manage menstruation often causes girls to miss school during their periods, while some turn to unhygienic alternatives like rags, tissue paper, or old clothing. According to Ajari et al. (2021), inadequate menstrual hygiene contributes to reproductive tract infections, feelings of shame, and absenteeism among adolescent girls. Period poverty is not just a health issue; it is also a major gender and economic problem that deepens inequality and perpetuates discrimination.

      Photo credit: Give Girls a Chance Foundation (GGAC)

   Amid these challenges, women across Nigeria are developing community-led solutions that promote empowerment, innovation, and local knowledge. One example is Ms. Goodness Ogeyi Odey, founder of the EduPad Yala initiative in Cross River State. Her project focuses on training rural women to make reusable menstrual pads from locally sourced materials, such as cotton, fabric, and thread. This initiative offers a sustainable and affordable alternative to imported sanitary products, which can be hard for many to access. Odey’s approach aligns with Chant's (2016) critique of the “smart economics” discourse, which often commodifies women’s empowerment by framing them solely as instruments of economic growth. In contrast, EduPad Yala exemplifies what Chant terms “smarter economics,” emphasizing women’s agency, dignity, and the equitable distribution of knowledge. By positioning women as producers, educators, and advocates within their communities, Odey’s initiative redefines empowerment as a process anchored in self-determination and collective care.

   This approach also aligns with decolonial feminist perspectives, which emphasize the importance of community epistemologies and the need to challenge Western-centric models of development (Ramirez, Vélez-Zapata, & Maher, 2023). Similar to the Wayúu women of Colombia who resist “green colonialism” by grounding their activism in indigenous cosmologies, Nigerian women like Odey are reclaiming bodily autonomy through culturally grounded practices of health education and production. Her method of teaching, which is often under a baobab tree where women gather to share stories, echoes what Lanza 2012) describes as Buen Vivir, or “living well,” an alternative feminist framework that values reciprocity, ecological balance, and community wellbeing over profit-driven growth. Such feminist reimagining of development transform menstruation from a site of silence and shame into one of solidarity and empowerment.

                                                

                                  Photo credit: Monday Ogor (Volunteer at EDU YALA initiative)

   Finally, the fight against period poverty in Nigeria shows that women are not just recipients of aid but active agents of transformative development. Initiatives like the EduPad Yala project illustrate this by promoting education, skills training, and entrepreneurship. This approach implements the Gender and Development (GAD) principle, emphasizing that sustainable change requires women to be participants and leaders, not just passive beneficiaries. These grassroots strategies support what feminist scholars have long said: achieving gender equality needs more than economic policies; it requires everyday practices that challenge social hierarchies and restore women’s agency.

 

 

References

Ajari, E., Abass, T., Ilesanmi, E., & Adebisi, Y. (2021). Cost Implications of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Nigeria and Its Associated Impacts. Medicine & Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202105.0349.v1

 Chant, S. (2016). Galvanizing girls for development? Critiquing the shift from ‘smart’ to ‘smarter economics.’ Progress in Development Studies, 16(4), 314–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993416657209

Ramirez, J., Vélez-Zapata, C. P., & Maher, R. (2024). Green colonialism and decolonial feminism: A study of Wayúu women’s resistance in La Guajira. Human Relations, 77(7), 937–964. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267231189610