• 577 students, including 240 boys, benefit from menstrual health education in Badagry
• 13 teachers trained as ambassadors to sustain awareness and tackle stigma**
• ACT Foundation-backed initiative targets 3,000 adolescents across four Lagos local government areas
For generations, menstruation has remained a subject surrounded by silence, misconceptions and embarrassment in many communities. For countless adolescent girls, the onset of their monthly periods can bring not only physical changes but also anxiety, stigma and the fear of being ridiculed by classmates.
Yet menstruation is a natural biological process, not something to be ashamed of. Experts and advocates increasingly recognise that helping young people understand it, including boys, is essential to building healthier, more inclusive school environments.
This is the thinking behind an innovative school-based intervention by the Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), which is using illustrated comic stories, interactive discussions and practical demonstrations to change how adolescents understand and respond to menstrual health.
Through its Ireti Young Leadership Program, WRAHP has launched the Period Comic Initiative: Transforming Menstrual Health Education and Reducing Stigma Among Youth, a 12-month project supported by Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation.
The initiative, which runs from May 2026 to April 2027, is designed to reach 3,000 adolescent girls and boys across secondary schools in Oshodi-Isolo, Eti-Osa, Badagry and Ikorodu local government areas of Lagos State.
Rather than treating menstruation as a subject to be discussed only among girls, the project is bringing boys into the conversation, challenging harmful stereotypes and promoting a school culture where adolescent girls can manage their periods without embarrassment or discrimination.
Taking Menstrual Health Education to Badagry Schools
The initiative recorded a significant outreach milestone on October 14, 2026, when WRAHP conducted menstrual health education sessions in three secondary schools in Badagry.
The participating schools were Cornel Holy Child School, St. Michael Alabstar’s College and King Star Schools.
Across the three institutions, 577 students, comprising 337 girls and 240 boys, participated in interactive sessions designed to improve their understanding of puberty, menstruation and personal hygiene.
The sessions went beyond conventional classroom lectures.
Facilitators engaged students in discussions about the physical and emotional changes associated with adolescence, explained the menstrual cycle in accessible language and addressed common misconceptions that often contribute to fear and stigma.
Students also received practical guidance on the proper use of sanitary pads, personal hygiene during menstruation and environmentally responsible disposal of used menstrual materials.
Importantly, the boys were not treated as spectators.
They participated in discussions intended to help them understand menstruation as a normal aspect of human development and recognise the role they can play in creating supportive environments for female classmates.
By encouraging open conversations between boys and girls, the programme sought to replace teasing, misinformation and embarrassment with understanding, empathy and respect.
Changing the Conversation Through Comics
One distinctive feature of the initiative is its use of comic-based learning to communicate important menstrual health messages to adolescents.
For many young people, conventional health education can feel overly technical or uncomfortable, particularly when it addresses subjects traditionally considered private.
The Period Comic Initiative takes a different approach by using illustrated stories and relatable situations to encourage discussion.
Through characters and scenarios reflecting everyday school experiences, the comics are intended to help students recognise common myths, understand menstrual health challenges and develop more supportive attitudes towards their peers.
The approach also recognises that information alone may not be enough to change behaviour.
Young people need opportunities to ask questions, discuss their concerns and challenge beliefs that may have been passed down through families, peer groups or communities.
By combining visual storytelling with guided conversations, WRAHP hopes to make menstrual health education less intimidating and more memorable.
The inclusion of boys is especially important.
In some school environments, girls may experience teasing or embarrassment when their menstrual status becomes known. Such experiences can discourage open discussion, affect confidence and make it more difficult for girls to seek help when necessary.
Teaching boys to understand menstruation and respond respectfully is therefore an important part of the initiative’s wider goal of reducing stigma.
‘Menstrual Health Is Not Just a Girls’ Issue’
Speaking on the significance of the intervention, WRAHP Executive Director, Bose Ironsi, emphasised that meaningful change requires the involvement of both boys and girls.
“Menstrual health is not just a girls’ issue. When boys and girls learn together, myths lose their power and schools become more supportive places for everyone. That is why this initiative brings both into the conversation,” she said.
Her remarks underscore the broader philosophy of the programme: that menstrual health should be treated as an issue of health education, dignity and shared responsibility rather than a subject surrounded by secrecy.
The intervention also seeks to address attitudes that may prevent adolescent girls from feeling comfortable discussing their menstrual health needs with teachers or seeking support within their schools.
By encouraging respectful conversations, the initiative aims to build understanding among students while equipping schools to respond more sensitively to menstrual health concerns.
Practical Support Beyond Classroom Discussions
Recognising that menstrual health education must also address practical needs, WRAHP complemented the learning sessions with the distribution of sanitary kits to participating female students.
The kits were provided to improve access to essential menstrual hygiene materials and reinforce the practical lessons delivered during the sessions.
Access to appropriate menstrual products remains an important part of menstrual health management, particularly for girls whose families may struggle to afford sanitary materials consistently.
For students, understanding how to use and dispose of menstrual products correctly is equally important.
During the outreach, facilitators demonstrated appropriate sanitary pad use and discussed hygienic disposal practices, helping participants connect classroom knowledge with everyday personal care.
The combination of education and material support reflects the project’s wider approach to menstrual health: addressing misinformation while helping girls develop practical skills for managing menstruation confidently and hygienically.
Building a Lasting Support System Through Teachers
Beyond the direct engagement with students, WRAHP is also investing in the teachers who interact with adolescents every day.
As part of the Badagry outreach, the organisation trained 13 teachers across the three participating schools to serve as Menstrual Health Management (MHM) Ambassadors.
The training is intended to help teachers provide accurate menstrual health information, guide students who need support and continue awareness activities after the initial outreach.
The teachers are expected to conduct follow-up educational sessions, commonly referred to as step-down training, to reinforce the messages introduced during the project.
Their role is particularly significant because menstrual health concerns do not end when visiting facilitators leave a school.
Girls may need guidance when experiencing their first periods, managing menstrual discomfort or dealing with embarrassment and misinformation.
Similarly, boys may require continued encouragement to reject teasing and treat menstruation as a normal aspect of adolescent development.
By building teachers’ capacity to address these issues, WRAHP hopes to establish a more sustainable model of menstrual health education within participating schools.
The strategy also places responsibility for sustained change within the school community, helping to ensure that the project does not become a one-off awareness exercise.
Reaching 3,000 Adolescents Across Lagos
The Badagry outreach forms part of a broader intervention covering four local government areas in Lagos State.
With a target of 3,000 adolescent beneficiaries, the initiative seeks to expand menstrual health knowledge while promoting gender sensitivity among young people in different school communities.
Its implementation across Oshodi-Isolo, Eti-Osa, Badagry and Ikorodu is intended to provide opportunities for adolescents from diverse backgrounds to benefit from accessible menstrual health education.
The 577 students reached during the Badagry sessions represent an important contribution towards the overall project target.
However, WRAHP’s intervention is not measured solely by the number of students attending awareness sessions.
The organisation also aims to strengthen schools’ capacity to sustain menstrual health education through trained teachers, continued discussions and improved awareness among students.
The involvement of ACT Foundation provides support for a programme designed to combine immediate educational engagement with longer-term changes in school attitudes and practices.
Why Menstrual Health Education Matters
Menstrual health is closely connected to adolescent wellbeing, confidence, dignity and access to education.
When young people lack accurate information about menstruation, they may rely on myths, misconceptions or misleading advice from peers.
For some girls, these information gaps can create unnecessary anxiety, particularly when they begin menstruating without adequate preparation.
Stigma can further discourage them from asking questions, obtaining appropriate hygiene materials or discussing menstrual health concerns with trusted adults.
There are also wider implications for school environments.
Where menstruation is treated as shameful, girls may face ridicule, feel uncomfortable participating in school activities or struggle to seek assistance when they need it.
Addressing these challenges requires more than distributing sanitary products.
It also involves equipping adolescents with accurate knowledge, encouraging supportive attitudes and ensuring that teachers can respond appropriately.
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This is where the Period Comic Initiative seeks to make a difference.
By bringing boys and girls into the same learning environment, the programme challenges the idea that menstrual health is exclusively a female concern.
It encourages young people to see menstruation through the lenses of health, dignity and mutual respect.
Beyond Awareness: Changing School Culture
The larger significance of WRAHP’s intervention lies in its attempt to make menstrual health education part of the everyday learning environment.
A single awareness session may introduce important information, but lasting progress depends on whether students retain that knowledge, teachers continue reinforcing it and schools become more responsive to adolescents’ needs.
Through comic-based education, practical demonstrations, sanitary kit distribution and teacher training, the initiative is working across these different dimensions.
The participation of 240 boys in the Badagry sessions is particularly noteworthy, as it reflects an intentional effort to build understanding across genders.
Similarly, the training of 13 MHM Ambassadors creates opportunities for sustained engagement within the participating schools.
As the project continues towards its April 2027 conclusion, its wider impact will depend on how effectively these activities translate into improved knowledge, more respectful behaviour and stronger support systems.
For WRAHP, the objective is clear: to make menstruation a subject young people can understand and discuss without shame.
And for the hundreds of students already reached in Badagry, the initiative offers an opportunity to replace myths with knowledge, embarrassment with confidence and silence with informed conversation.
Ultimately, its message extends beyond menstrual hygiene.
It is about building school communities where girls can manage a natural biological process with dignity and where boys understand that respect, empathy and shared responsibility are essential to creating safer, more inclusive learning environments.