About the club
The Menstrual Health Society is an extracurricular club that sits alongside drama, debate and the Red Cross in a school’s weekly timetable. It gives menstrual health a permanent place in school life.
Why a club
Many students in Nigeria learn about periods from rumours, or not at all. Some miss school every month. Others are teased, or are too embarrassed to ask a teacher for help.
Awareness days help, but they end. A club meets again next week. Students build knowledge over a whole school year, and the people asking the questions are their own classmates.
Who can join
Any student in a participating school, from JSS 1 to SS 3. Boys are welcome too. When boys understand menstruation, there is less teasing and more support in the classroom.
Every member is registered by the teacher coordinator, with a parent or guardian’s agreement.
What a club meeting looks like
- Short lessons on the menstrual cycle, hygiene and products
- Open question time, with answers from the coordinator and visiting health workers
- Members planning talks and activities for the rest of the school
- Breaking myths that students have heard at home or online
How each club is run
- Teacher coordinatorLeads the club, registers members and is the school’s contact for the programme.
- Club presidentA student elected to lead meetings and represent the club.
- ExecutivesVice president, secretary, welfare officer and others, chosen by the members.
- MembersStudents who attend, learn and act as menstrual health ambassadors.
Questions schools ask
Does it cost the school anything?
No. Joining the Menstrual Health Society is free for every school, and all secondary schools are encouraged to join. What a club needs is time on the timetable and a committed teacher.
Which schools can apply?
Secondary schools, public and private. Schools in any of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory can apply.
What information do you keep about students?
Name, gender, date of birth, class, state of origin and hometown. We do not collect students’ phone numbers. Member lists are visible only to the school and our programme team. Read how we protect student data.
Can we register more students later?
Yes. The coordinator can sign in at any time to add new members, update roles or mark students who have left.