Half the world’s population gets period. It is one of the most ordinary things a human body does. Yet for women in Niger, it is still an expensive, stigmatised and isolating event that effects one week out of every four.. Over 50% of women in Niger have poor menstrual hygiene management and 35% of schoolgirls miss school during their periods. What’s worse is the social stigma around women hygiene means women and girls suffer in silence.
“A period is not a luxury. The products that manage it should not be either.” Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, Wales.
This is not just a health issue. It is an equality issue. Good Neighbours UK (GNUK) along with Good Neighbors Niger are trying to solve by providing a sustainable solution. Our approach is a simple. We are reducing women’s dependence on imported disposable products that they cannot afford and training them to produce reusable menstrual hygiene kits within their own communities.
Through 33 women’s cooperatives, we are equipping women with the skills and resources to manufacture reusable menstrual health kits locally- far more affordable over time and environmentally sustainable, and the women are supported to become skilled producers and entrepreneurs, instead of simply the recipients of aid.
The empowerment runs deeper than production alone. Trained cooperative members will then be connected to markets, enabling them to sell kits beyond their immediate communities and generate income. Revenue that stays in women’s hands strengthens household finances while ensuring that affordable, locally made products are readily available. This new model converts menstrual hygiene from a financial burden into a source of economic independence for women.
Manufacturing kits alone won’t solve the issue of poor women hygiene, if they are too ashamed of using it. Hence, we are tackling the stigma that makes menstrual health so difficult to discuss openly in the first place.
To tackle social stigma, we are educating girls and women with the help of educational materials. This includes books and dedicated period guides being distributed to 270 schoolgirls, 12 teachers and 20 parents. These resources have been carefully designed. By aligning with local cultural contexts we aim to open new conversations in families and schools, building the awareness and knowledge that make lasting behaviour change possible.
Period poverty is not inevitable. When women are equipped with both knowledge and economic opportunity, a sanitary pad stops being a luxury and becomes what it always should have been: a basic, accessible part of everyday life.
Marc Greene (Chief Executive
Canopi Foundation & Education Saves Lives) with Zarina Douglas-Sori, Chief Executive, Good Neighbours UK
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