By Dipo Olowookere
A group based in Lagos, Social Enterprise Padman Africa, will on Thursday, May 24, 2018 celebrate the Menstrual Hygiene Day.
To mark the day, the organisation is inviting Nigerians to the screening of a film titled Menstrual Man, which focuses on the remarkable story about a school dropout turned visionary who revolutionized menstrual hygiene management in India.
A statement from the group explained that Menstrual Man underscores the importance of empowering women to combat poverty, and the power in every individual to make a difference.
After showing the flick, there would be a panel discussion with local experts who will talk about menstrual hygiene management and what can be done to ensure every woman and girl manage menstruation in a hygienic way.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual event, first celebrated in 2014, which raises awareness of the challenges women and girls worldwide face due to their menstruation, and highlights solutions that address these challenges.
Social Enterprise Padman Africa disclosed that it hopes to add a twist to this year’s event by getting men in #MenstruationMatters and hosting different panel sessions that involve experts in technology, travel and relevant fields to join a high-level event tagged PeriodConf2018 Lagos at the Civic Hive.
This slogan is, ‘Nothing can stop me going to school;’ to raise national awareness of the importance of girls’ hygiene and the availability of a private and dignified space at schools for girls to take care of their hygiene needs.
It noted that this will hopefully enable girls to stay in school until 12th grade with the theme (and hashtag) of #NoMoreLimits.
“We are also priding this year’s celebration on Britain’s Foreign Secretary’s global initiative: Leave No Girl Behind – 12 Years of Quality Education by inviting United Kingdom Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Laure Beaufils to give a keynote on this day and honour significant individuals, institutions and initiatives who are living their lives for the benefit of others and making contributions to gender equality in Nigeria,” the statement said.
In commemoration of this year’s event, Padman Africa says it hopes to host a cross section of high school students, undergraduates, young professionals, people living with disabilities, government officials, diplomats and celebrities with different items on the agenda inspired by certain brands such as, She is The First by First Bank, Pizza, Creamery and Periods: Eat’N’Go, Period Party by Pepsi, Men in Menstruation Matters by Microsoft, Face My Pads by Andela, Leave No Girl Behind by DFID and the Elite Hall of Humanitarian Fame by BudgIT with the donation of our First Padman Africa Period Purse that contains eco-friendly pads, panties and other essentials.
Business Post gathered that this year’s event is inspired by the 20th Anniversary of South African Airways Nigeria, which has promised to invest more in youth development as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria.
National Sales Manager of SAA, Mrs Kemi Leke-Bamtefa, at a recent event, had stated that, “We want to be part of development in Nigeria, I do not believe in people saying that our leaders have failed us, but I say we have failed ourselves.
“Part of this is impacting on the youth and making them look inwards and see how they can contribute to the development of Nigeria. This is not about Nelson Mandela or about South Africa, it is strictly about Nigeria and Nigerian youth and how we can contribute to the economy,”
The organisers said they also expect representation from the Senate, Lagos State Tourism, UNICEF, UN WOMEN, UNFPA, WaterAid, celebrities, Travel Experts, the commissioner of Women Affairs from Edo, Executive Wife of the President, Executive Wife of the Governor of Lagos and Ogun State to grace the occasion.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale