Moniepoint and S.A.N.G Address Period Poverty, Empower 500 Lagos Schoolgirls

By Chioma Obinna

Moniepoint Inc. has joined forces with Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls (S.A.N.G) to address period poverty and promote financial inclusion among young girls. The partnership delivered menstrual hygiene support and financial literacy education to 500 students in Lagos.

The event, held to mark World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026, brought together volunteers from Moniepoint and facilitators from S.A.N.G under the global theme, “A Period‑Friendly World.”

Participants received sanitary kits, attended sessions on menstrual health, and learned about financial literacy, aiming to give adolescent girls the knowledge and confidence to manage their health and future economic wellbeing.

Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Moniepoint Inc., Edidiong Didi Uwemakpan, spoke at the event, noting that menstrual equity is closely linked to economic empowerment and financial inclusion.

“Girls who miss school because they menstruate are girls who fall behind. Women who carry the stigma and practical burden of unmanaged menstrual health are women whose economic agency is curtailed before it has a chance to develop,” she said.

She added that the partnership aligns with Moniepoint’s mission to provide financial access and opportunity for all Nigerians.

“For us, linking menstrual equity interventions with financial inclusion outreach was a natural pathway to ensuring that our mission of financial happiness remains unencumbered,” she explained.

Globally, about 500 million women and girls lack adequate menstrual hygiene resources, a situation worsened by poor sanitation infrastructure, limited access to sanitary products, and persistent cultural stigma surrounding menstruation.

In Nigeria, a recent study published in the Oxford journal International Health linked inadequate menstrual hygiene support to school absenteeism, emotional distress, and increased vulnerability among adolescent girls. The study found that more than 23 percent of Nigerian girls aged 15 to 24 missed school due to menstruation within the past year.

Founder of S.A.N.G, Karo Omu, described menstrual poverty as both a public health and economic challenge, emphasizing that access to sanitary products should not determine whether girls remain in school or achieve their potential.

“We serve communities where women’s economic participation is often severely limited by a lack of access to basic menstrual products,” Omu said.

“By aligning menstrual equity with financial inclusion, we can build a broader, scalable programme that moves beyond product distribution to true economic empowerment.”

She noted that the organisation has supported over 53,000 girls and distributed more than 80,000 sanitary pads across 23 states since its inception.

Volunteers at the event encouraged the students to embrace their growth with confidence and reject societal stigma surrounding menstruation.

Reflecting on the outreach, Sophia Ukoni, Market Research Team Lead at Moniepoint and one of the volunteers, described the experience as rewarding.

“It was a rewarding experience teaching the girls about the importance of financial literacy and introducing them to the work we do at Moniepoint. Opportunities like this allow us to give back, share knowledge, and contribute to empowering the next generation of young women,” she said.

Stakeholders at the event stressed that achieving a period‑friendly world requires stronger collaboration among schools, communities, private organisations, and policymakers to close the gap between advocacy and reality for millions of girls.

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