‘Period Poverty’: Lack of money to buy sanitary pads still keeping girls out of school.

“My first period came when I was in class. The teacher was not present, so we were seated and waiting. My stomach started hurting and the cramps were so intense. I never knew what was happening to me at the time. I kept hiding the pain, and later I felt something flowing from my body. I bent my head down to check and saw blood on my pants. The only thing I could do was start crying,” she explained.

Victory explained that a classmate approached her to find out what was wrong. After seeing the blood, some of the students immediately understood and explained to her that she had started her first period.

“Immediately, I went to the dormitory. I was very shy and did not even know what to do. I could not tell my elder sister because she had never mentioned menstruation to me, and I had never seen her even with a pad,” she said.

Victory said she had no sanitary pads and no money to buy them. She resorted to using tissue paper, pieces of cloth and other alternatives. During class periods, she sometimes hid in the toilets so teachers would not notice that she was skipping classes. She continued this until her five-day period ended.

For some girls, the arrival of a monthly period can mean more than cramps, discomfort and inconvenience. It can mean missing school, falling behind in class and having to choose between managing menstruation and attending lessons.

Seme Nelly, a university student, said menstruation has sometimes forced her to miss classes.

“There have been times when my period has made me miss my classes. Sometimes the cramps are so painful that I can barely concentrate. Heavy flow also makes me feel uncomfortable sitting through lectures. The most difficult part is having to choose between attending class and taking care of myself. Sometimes I just stay home and rest,” she said.

The hidden crisis behind period poverty

In some households, buying sanitary pads every month is difficult because families cannot afford the recurring cost. Marie Afoukeze, a mother of three girls, said sanitary pads are too expensive for her to buy every month for all her daughters.

“I took old clothes which the children no longer wear and cut them, dividing them among the girls. We use and wash them every time. During these periods, we don’t go out in order to avoid stains, so we are able to change and wash them when they are full. The kids too don’t go to school during this period,” Afoukeze narrated.

Sandra Oben, 18, suffered a vaginal yeast infection that caused itching and discomfort. Sandra, who lives in Djichami, Boyo Division, North West Region, said she had been using alternatives to sanitary pads because her family could not regularly afford them.

“I used to use toilet roll instead of a pad at times because my mother, whom I live with, could not afford to buy me sanitary pads most of the time,” she said.

Barrier to education

Though a normal biological process, girls who cannot consistently access appropriate menstrual products find it difficult to manage their periods, which then becomes a barrier to their education. 

According to reports published by State-run daily, Cameroon Tribune, there are more than eight million women and menstruating girls in Cameroon. Women and girls aged 10 to 49 are estimated to represent about 30% of the country’s population. 

Cameroon Tribune also reported that 66.7% of participants in a study conducted in Cameroon said they had insufficient knowledge of menstrual hygiene management.

The report linked the situation to social norms and cultural taboos that limit open discussions about menstruation, as well as problems with the availability and accessibility of appropriate menstrual products. It further reported that 70% of menstruating women and girls in Cameroon do not have access to basic menstrual hygiene products.

Adolescent girls and women in urban areas are more likely to have regular and adequate access to sanitary pads than those in rural areas. The report also highlighted limited access to improved sanitation in rural households and inadequate separate toilet facilities for girls in some schools.

Culture of stigma powering silence 

The challenges surrounding menstrual hygiene also include stigma, shame and a culture of silence around menstruation. Limited information, misconceptions and inadequate sanitation facilities can further complicate menstrual management and contribute to girls missing school during their periods.

Reusable pads ease cost burden

To address some of these barriers, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has supported the use of reusable menstrual pads in communities in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions.

 The locally produced reusable pads are designed to provide an alternative to disposable sanitary pads. According to UNICEF, when properly used and maintained, they can last for up to two years, reducing the recurring cost of purchasing disposable pads.

Mireille Tambi, a 16-year-old girl in Yoke, Muyuka Subdivision in the South West Region, said receiving reusable pads has reduced the financial pressure on her family.

“My mother doesn’t have to struggle to buy pads for me again. The reusable pads given to us by UNICEF have really helped us. I can focus on my studies without thinking about money or fear,” she said.

On her part, Theresa, a parent and one of the beneficiaries, said the support has also reduced household expenditure.

“The money we used to spend every month can now help with food and school needs. It has brought us relief,” she said.

Response from school authorities

Teachers can play an important role in helping girls manage menstruation at school, but some say they lack the resources to provide sanitary products when students need them.

For Asobo Linda, a secondary school teacher, access to sanitary pads can determine whether some girls remain in class or return home.

“Sometimes we experience children coming to school and getting stained in class, and when you investigate, you find out some don’t wear pads because they don’t have them or cannot afford them. As teachers, we cannot provide for them because we do not have the resources to provide pads, so we end up telling them to stay home until the end of the flow,” she explained.

Even when menstrual products are available, the school environment can present additional challenges. Managing menstruation at school requires access to clean and private toilets, water and appropriate facilities for disposing of used menstrual products. Girls also need access to information and adults they can approach when their periods begin unexpectedly.

Seeking durable solutions

Asobo said not every girl who uses an alternative menstrual material will experience a medical complication. However, the absence of appropriate menstrual products, clean water and safe changing facilities can make menstrual management more difficult.

The National Movement of Adolescent Girls and Young Women, AGYW, founded by Ndum Charlotte Ayeah, is also advocating solutions to period poverty and gaps in reproductive health information in low-income rural communities. Through the movement, Ayeah has launched a social media campaign on X advocating for tax-free sanitary pads.

“We are carrying out an advocacy campaign which we launched in May last year. The campaign is dubbed #TaxFreePadCmr,” she said.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3927 of Friday October 02, 2026