From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Nigeria (AHF Nigeria) has called for the promotion of access to safe, clean facilities and free or affordable sanitary products for all who need them.

As part of the activities marking Menstrual Health Day, AHF is to hold a commemorative event at Keffi, Nasarawa state on Monday to also carry out an enlightenment campaign on the importance of reducing stigma around periods.

In a statement in Lokoja over the weekend, Steve Aborisade, Senior Advocacy and Marketing Manager, AHF Nigeria, stressed the need for critical steps to be taken in protecting overall health and reducing vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

According to the statement, Menstrual Health Day is observed annually on May 28, but due to the national holiday falling on the 28th, we decided to commemorate the event earlier.

This year, AHF Nigeria and her partners in Nasarawa shall converge at the Victory Baptist School, Daddin – Kowa, Keffi and be joined by other students from Flobam British Secondary School, Government Secondary School and Government Junior Secondary School, all in Keffi.

Government partners that will be in attendance include officials from the Nasarawa State Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Education.

The Nasarawa State Focal Person on Gender Based Violence will also be present, as well as the Association of Positive Youths Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (APYIN), the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) and the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN).

Event shall see a menstrual health expert take participants through the salient issues in menstrual health management, particularly as it concerns access to menstrual health products and the stigma associated with menstruation in our society.

Participating students will also learn the basic steps to keeping healthy and well during their periods, while also making boys allies of menstrual health management.

At the same time, the 150 participants expected at the event shall receive 2 months supplies of sanitary towels each, as well as incentives to aid their menstrual experience.

“Across Africa, too many women and girls still lack access to basic menstrual products and safe facilities, forcing them to miss school, risk their health, or turn to unsafe coping strategies,” said Martin Matabishi, AHF Africa Bureau Chief.

“Menstrual health is not a luxury—it is a fundamental part of public health and HIV/STI prevention. Governments must remove taxes, invest in access, and break the silence around menstruation to protect health, dignity, and opportunity for all.”

“Globally, nearly 2 billion people menstruate, with 500 million experiencing period poverty.

“These challenges can lead to reliance on transactional relationships or relationships with significant age differences, reducing the ability to negotiate safer sex and raising the risk of HIV and other STIs.

“AHF applauds countries that have reduced or eliminated taxes on menstrual products and urges others to follow suit to ensure access for all who need them.” said Dr. Echey Ijezie, AHF Nigeria Country Program Director (CPD).

In many communities, taboos prevent open discussion, limit access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information, and discourage people from seeking care. Addressing menstrual health must go hand in hand with efforts to normalize periods, expand access to essential services—including HIV prevention, testing, and treatment—and ensure that everyone can manage their health safely, with dignity, and without fear or discrimination.

AHF supports young women and girls through its Girls Act empowerment program in Nigeria, AHF currently runs two Girls Act chapters, in Abuja and Makurdi, Benue state and this year, we shall be expanding to two extra states – Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa state.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has urged Member States to finalise the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing annex, warning that global preparedness for future pandemics remained inadequate without immediate agreement.

‎Speaking at the weekend during closing remarks at the 79th World Health Assembly, Ghebreyesus said, “Without the PABS annex, the world is not truly ready for the next pandemic,” citing Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks.

‎He said the week-long assembly adopted resolutions on diagnostic imaging, emergency care, haemophilia, neglected tropical diseases, precision medicine, radiation, stroke, transplantation and tuberculosis, alongside reforms targeting the global health architecture system.

‎Ghebreyesus thanked Assembly President Dr. Victor Atallah and committee chairs Dr. Timur Sultangaziyev and Ghana’s Health Minister Mintah Akandoh for guiding deliberations covering technical, political and administrative matters throughout the gathering.

‎He said the Assembly demonstrated progress in spite of outbreaks, conflict, uncertainty and limited resources, emphasising that resolutions only mattered when they improved clinics, protected communities, strengthened households, and enabled detection of outbreaks.

Describing the 2025 pandemic agreement as a “monumental achievement,” Ghebreyesus urged Member States to approve increased assessed contributions, saying predictable funding would ensure WHO remained “able, stable and sustainable” during emergencies.

‎Rejecting suggestions of institutional decline, Ghebreyesus declared, “This is not an organisation in crisis,” adding that WHO was instead moving forward confidently, with purpose, and improving its ability to respond worldwide.

A Psychology Counselor, Wael AI Awabdah, has underscored the need for parents and educators to be more compassionate and intentional in managing children with autism and neurodevelopmental disorder.

Awabdah, also a Behaviour Analyst, gave the advice at a webinar titled: ‘Beyond the Cane and Command: Modern Mastery For Neurodiverse Learners’, organised by SOULution Nest Education Initiative on Saturday in Lagos.

He explains that Autism or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder affecting the brain’s executive functioning and how individuals process information, communicate, interact with others, and experience the world around them.

According to him, many autistic individuals possess unique strengths, including high attention to detail, excellent memory retention, and innovative problem-solving skills.

The analyst said the fact that no two autistic individuals have the exact same strengths and challenges underscored the need for parents and educators to be more intentional in managing them using real teaching practical techniques.

Citing the real practical techniques to include teaching using warning and visual cues (pictures), positive reinforcement and brain breaks among others, Awabdah noted that help and support systems were key.

He emphasised the need for the parents/educator to first connect with the child before correction.

“It is imperative to recognise that connection comes first before correction when managing a child with autism or ADHD.

“Transformation begins when we choose support over shame, understanding over punishment and compassion over hatred.

“Children adapt and learn best when they feel safe: be more compassionate with them and apply all the positive home and classroom techniques.

“Use pictures to demonstrate, help them to develop skills; being self -advocate, self-defense and self-regulation without being rude,” he said.

According to him, a parent/teacher needs to be regulated to teach a child self- regulation.

Awabdah, who noted that most behaviours/signs displayed by autistic individuals, were calls for focus and attention, urged educators to try and understand the reasons behind every behaviour/action they make.

He stressed that punishment should be used as the last resort and for dangerous behaviours and with the consent of the parents and the school administrator.

He said that minor behavioral displays might not need punishment to be corrected, but other positive home and classroom strategies.

He said, “Punishment does not teach anything, rather it stops behaviour at the moment.

“Use punishment as a last resort when other positive techniques failed, and for serious behaviour/ reason and with a written consent from parents and school administrator.

“As a teacher, have the mindset that you are there to help and support, and not to be provoked”.

Awabdah noted that the society at large should be more accommodating, otherwise learning would be blocked, because sometimes the problems were usually from the environment.

The Convener and Founder, SOULution Nest Education Initiative, Henrietta Ikediashi, said the motive was to create environments where every single learner feels seen, safe and supported.

Ikediashi noted that true academic excellence only begins when that child feels emotionally safe.

She said, “Science clearly shows us that a brain in survival mode cannot learn.

“When we rely on fear, we lock a child’s brain in a fight or flight response, making education biologically impossible.

“By choosing connection over coercion, educators change the classroom management, transform the institutional culture, and upgrade the school’s brand for tomorrow.”