NASARAWA/BENUE, Nigeria – December 9, 2025 – Olam Agri has engaged SuS Pads, a specialized menstrual hygiene management consultancy, to address period poverty in three secondary schools across Nasarawa and Benue States. The consultancy assignment, executed this November under Olam Agri’s WASH to School corporate social responsibility initiative, equipped hundreds of students with menstrual health knowledge and practical skills in manufacturing reusable sanitary pads.
Government Secondary School Awe, Government Secondary School Kanje (both in Nasarawa State), and St. Cecilia Secondary School Dauda in Benue State received comprehensive training designed and delivered by SuS Pads’ expert facilitators.
The Challenge: Educational Disruption from Period Poverty
At a parent-teacher association meeting at St. Cecilia Secondary School, a mother revealed that her daughter missed school every month due to inability to afford sanitary pads. Her testimony exposed a widespread problem affecting thousands of Nigerian girls whose education suffers monthly interruptions from an entirely preventable cause.
Research shows that when young women miss five school days monthly, they lose 60 days of education annually. These absences create cumulative learning gaps that can derail academic trajectories and limit future opportunities.
Infrastructure Plus Education
Prior to Olam Agri’s intervention, the three target schools lacked adequate water access and functional toilet facilities. The WASH to School project addressed these infrastructure deficits by installing clean water sources and constructing gender-appropriate toilet facilities.
Recognizing that physical infrastructure alone would not eliminate period poverty, Olam Agri contracted SuS Pads to design and implement specialized training that would maximize the project’s long-term community impact. The consultancy assignment encompassed curriculum development, materials procurement, facilitation, and establishment of sustainability mechanisms.
Consultancy Deliverables: Education and Skill Development
SuS Pads facilitators Bolu Olorunfemi and Grace Sule identified significant knowledge gaps during initial assessments. When asked to define menstruation, one male student stated it occurs “when blood stops,” revealing widespread misunderstanding stemming from cultural silence around the topic.
The consultancy’s educational curriculum provided female students with comprehensive instruction on reproductive biology, establishing menstruation as a normal physiological function. Training modules covered nutritional support for menstrual health, appropriate physical activity, hygiene protocols, and use of manual period trackers for cycle prediction.
According to Olorunfemi, author of “Period Smart: Your Ultimate Guide to Healthy Periods,” cycle tracking provides young women with predictive capabilities that transform menstruation from disruptive surprise to manageable aspect of life planning.
Inclusive Strategy: Male Student Engagement
The consultancy incorporated male students into menstrual health education sessions, training them to become informed allies rather than perpetrators of stigma. This methodology recognizes that menstrual taboos persist when approximately half the population treats the subject as inappropriate or mysterious.
At St. Cecilia Secondary School, male student Michael demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach by assisting female classmates with sewing reusable pads, actively participating in normalizing menstrual health discussions within the school community.
Interactive Sessions: Medical Guidance and Referrals
The training format enabled students to pose health questions in confidential settings. Inquiries ranged from irregular menstruation patterns to pain management strategies.
One female student described missing periods for three months while experiencing monthly cramps. After confirming pregnancy was not a factor, facilitator Olorunfemi recommended gynecological consultation, explaining that such symptoms could indicate infections requiring medical evaluation beyond the scope of educational training.
Regarding pain relief medication, facilitators advocated natural management methods such as hot water bottle application while advising against self-medication without qualified medical supervision. This guidance proved particularly relevant in communities where informal drug vendors may be more accessible than licensed healthcare providers.
Environmental Stewardship Through Personal Choice
Students learned that the program’s emphasis on reusable pads extends beyond economic accessibility. Facilitators explained the environmental consequences of disposable sanitary products, whose plastic components require years to decompose and accumulate in landfills.
“Young people today understand they are inheriting environmental challenges created by previous generations,” Olorunfemi said. “When they grasp how personal choices connect to planetary health, they become motivated to adopt sustainable practices.”
Participants received detailed instruction on maintaining reusable cloth pads: proper washing techniques, appropriate soaps, correct drying methods, and safe storage practices. This practical knowledge transforms reusable pads from abstract concepts into viable solutions students can implement immediately.
Vocational Training: Reusable Pad Manufacturing
Students received hands-on instruction in complete reusable pad production processes, including material selection, pattern cutting, hand and machine sewing techniques, button attachment, and proper underwear fitting.
The majority of female participants successfully cut patterns and completed functional reusable pads using provided hand needles or sewing machines. Support from participants like Michael and Mercy, an NYSC corps member who continued post-training assistance, demonstrated organic skill transfer within the school communities.
This vocational component delivers multiple benefits: immediate personal menstrual hygiene solutions, income-generating capabilities, and confidence development through productive skill acquisition.
Materials and Equipment Provision
Under the consultancy agreement, Olam Agri provided comprehensive materials supporting ongoing implementation: new sewing machines for each school, needles, thread, fabric, snap buttons, scissors, period trackers, storage bags, sample SuS Pads products, writing materials, and copies of “Period Smart: Your Ultimate Guide to Healthy Periods.”
These resources enable continued reusable pad production independent of external facilitators. Materials support ongoing skill practice and development. Reference publications provide accessible information for future questions. Sewing machines establish schools as production centers for personal use and potential commercial activity.
Sustainability Mechanisms
The consultancy established institutional structures supporting long-term program continuity. Olam Agri funded the creation of hygiene clubs at each school with designated student leadership and appointed teacher advisors. These organizational frameworks ensure menstrual health education persists beyond external consultant engagement.
Schools now maintain reference libraries containing books and manuals on menstruation, menstrual health, and hygiene practices. Regular club meetings utilize these resources for ongoing education, ensuring information reaches incoming students as older cohorts graduate.
The economic dimension creates incentives for sustained participation. Students can utilize provided materials and equipment to manufacture reusable pads for commercial sale, generating household income while developing business competencies.
Projected Outcomes
The consultancy’s immediate deliverables include hundreds of students trained, three schools equipped with production capabilities, and numerous reusable pads manufactured. However, projected long-term impacts extend considerably beyond these metrics.
Students previously absent during menstruation will maintain consistent school attendance, eliminating cumulative learning gaps. Young women tracking menstrual cycles gain health monitoring data enabling early problem detection. Male students developing informed perspectives will potentially interrupt stigma cycles in future domestic and professional environments.
Economic benefits generate additional community effects. Student income from reusable pad sales contributes to household finances while building entrepreneurial skills. Schools functioning as practical education centers demonstrate tangible educational value to parents. Local economies benefit from student purchasing power. Environmental quality improves through reduced disposable pad waste.
Consultancy Methodology and Replicability
SuS Pads has executed menstrual hygiene management consultations for diverse clients including individuals, NGOs, and organizations across Nigeria and internationally. The Olam Agri assignment demonstrates methodological principles applicable to similar initiatives:
Infrastructure Prerequisites: Clean water and functional sanitation facilities constitute necessary foundations, not optional additions, for effective menstrual hygiene management programming.
Comprehensive Stakeholder Inclusion: Programs excluding male students from menstrual health education miss opportunities to develop supportive institutional cultures.
Skills Transfer Over Product Distribution: Teaching production capabilities creates greater sustainable value than temporary product provision.
Institutional Integration: Hygiene clubs with dedicated resources and leadership structures embed program elements into permanent institutional operations rather than temporary interventions.
Economic Linkages: Connecting menstrual hygiene management to income generation engages families and communities beyond purely educational or charitable models.
Industry Context
Period poverty continues disrupting educational access across Nigeria, where millions of female students lose monthly school days, creating learning deficits that accumulate over time and sometimes result in permanent dropout. Economic constraints force families into difficult resource allocation decisions between menstrual products and other essential needs.
The three Nasarawa and Benue schools now serve as operational models demonstrating feasibility of comprehensive menstrual hygiene management solutions. Scale and replication speed will determine how rapidly similar interventions reach additional schools where female students currently choose between educational attendance and dignified period management.
“This consultancy demonstrates what becomes achievable when organizations apply appropriate resources and expertise to menstrual hygiene management,” stated Olorunfemi. “Students acquire knowledge, skills, and confidence. Educational institutions become more equitable. Communities transition from stigma toward support. Young women previously marginalized by poverty and taboo gain fuller educational and future participation.”
Media Contact:
SuS Pads
Email: hello@suspads.com
Phone: 08079663559
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/7WUDJOPRI5QJL1
Website: https://www.suspads.com/
For consultation services, partnership opportunities, or to implement menstrual hygiene management training and reusable pad production programs in your organization or community, contact SuS Pads.
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Expert consultancy delivers reusable pad manufacturing training and menstrual health education under Olam Agri's WASH to School initiative
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Menstrual hygiene management Nigeria, Period poverty solutions, Reusable sanitary pads training, SuS Pads consultancy, Menstrual health education Nigeria, School WASH programs Nigeria
- Health & Wellness
- 2025-12-09
