Pishon Health is calling attention to the issue of period poverty, which affects millions of
women and young girls worldwide, particularly in developing countries. In Nigeria alone, about 37 million women and girls of reproductive age lack access to menstrual hygiene products due to high costs and inadequate policies.
According to a survey conducted by Pishon Health, 91.3% of women think that period
products are high in price, and 52.17% say that cost influences their purchase and use of sanitary pads. This underscores the need for policies that prioritise menstrual health and hygiene, such as the 7.5% value-added tax-free policy on locally made sanitary pads that was signed by the current Nigerian president in 2020. However, more needs to be done to overcome import and sales taxes and promote grassroots education and advocacy.
Particularly, Period poverty affects women and young girls in a broad variety of ways. For young girls in Nigeria, there’s been millions of cases of poor concentration, absenteeism and drop out.
There’s also a prevalent increase in cases of infection from unhygienic period products and practices among women and girls alike. It is crucial that we work together to promote and develop policies that encourage local production of period products, increase access of all women to these products, and fortify menstrual hygiene education at grassroots.
Pishon Health raises awareness about period poverty and promoting period equity. We believe that by eliminating taxes on menstrual products, promoting local production, and distributing products for free in schools and public spaces, we can make these products more affordable and accessible to all. We call on policymakers, private sector, NGOs, advocacy groups, and international organisations to join us in prioritising menstrual health and hygiene, and in making period equity a reality for all.
For more information on Pishon Health and our work, please visit please contact us at
pishonhealth@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.
