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Summary: Girls Inspired Africa Development Network (GIDN), a non-governmental organisation based in Lagos, holds a menstrual health capacity-building program to train CSOs and NGO on menstrual dignity.
Girls Inspired Africa Development Network (GIDN), a non-governmental organisation based in Lagos, holds a menstrual health capacity-building programme to train Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria on menstrual dignity. The training was held on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the GIDN Resource Centre, Mile 2, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos State.
Girls Inspired Development Network is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2016. The organisation is committed to breaking gender barriers and empowering young girls and women to reach their full potential. The network operates on four key pillars: education, technology, STEM, and women’s livelihood. It also raises awareness on menstrual health management, breaking stigmas, and combating period poverty
Speaking on the programme’s theme, “Together for a Period-Friendly World,” the training facilitator, Ms Faith Isiraman, explained that menstrual dignity occurs when women and girls have access to quality, affordable sanitary products, with a period-friendly environment without the fear of stigma or shame. She shared that lack of awareness, accurate information and poor WASH facilities are among what continue to impede girls’ menstrual health.
“It’s not dirty, it’s a natural phenomenon that will come and go”, she said, dispelling the stigma surrounding the period’s blood.
Caption: The facilitator with a participant
She urged the participants to use the core roles of CSO to advocate for period-friendly toilets, pad store rooms in schools, and school clubs where girls can freely talk about their periods.
“Debunk the myths and feed them with facts,” she emphasised, saying that engaging male audiences in menstrual talk is a practical step towards promoting menstrual dignity.
She recommends that CSOs should advocate for sanitary products to be made available in the human resources department in the workplace, build a mentorship programme, track progress and share success stories.
In a chat with Naija Feminists Media, Ms Adebukola Adeboye, the Senior Programme Specialist of the organisation, stated that the goal of the training is to create a safe environment for girls where they can easily voice out their menstrual experience. She highlighted that CSOs are essential to achieve this because the training is long-term knowledge.
“Once you train a CSO person, that person will transfer the knowledge, and it’ll be used for the long term. So, it’s a long-term goal,” she stated.
The event also featured group discussion and presentation, and a debate to critique myths surrounding the period. Participants at the initiative noted that the training had been instrumental in equipping them with information to dismantle myths about menstruation. They also pledged to carry the lessons forward to young girls in their local community.
