I first heard about reusable sanitary pads about two years ago from a nurse who's very close to me.

At the time, it sounded like just another idea  until I started to see the reality of period poverty around me.

In my hometown, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, I spoke with a few teenage girls about how they manage their periods.

Their stories broke my heart 💔

🩸 Some use tissue paper.

🩸 Some use old rags.

🩸 Some use cotton wool

Those who can afford a little buy the small 3-in-1 pad pack, using one pad the whole day because that’s all they have.

Not because they don’t care about hygiene, but because they can’t afford more. And it's the difficult choice they have to make because:

💰 Pads are too expensive.

👩‍👧 Some parents don’t see them as a necessity.

🙍‍♀️ And some girls are too shy to even ask for money.

So they suffer in silence.

They miss school.

They stay home.

They feel shame for something completely natural.

And that’s when I thought  the idea of reusable sanitary pads  washable, durable, and safe when properly made might not really be a bad idea if they can't afford the disposable ones.

At first, I was skeptical…

But the more I learned, the more I saw it as a lifeline.

✨ Teaching girls how to make and use reusable pads isn’t just a skill, it’s a form of freedom.

It gives them control, dignity, and hope.

It means they no longer have to beg, hide, or miss school because of their period.

Still, it hurts to know that something as natural as menstruation has become a source of pain and poverty.

No girl should have to choose between her dignity and her daily bread.

Maybe the real question isn’t about reusable or disposable pads.

Maybe it’s about how we value our girls.

Because when a society ignores their basic needs, it quietly tells them they don’t matter.

It’s time to change that.

It’s time to care.

And it’s time to act  so every girl, everywhere, can bleed with dignity. ❤️