UNN Students Are Making Plant-Based Menstrual Pads And Helping Women Manage Periods Safely
A team of UNN students is using banana fibres to make safe, cheap, and biodegradable menstrual pads. The project targets 3,000 women by 2027, promoting hygiene, education, and environmental care in Nigeria’s South-East.
fibres.Periods can be hard for many women and girls in Nigeria. To add to the frustration, affordable, safe, and eco-friendly pads are not easy to find, especially in small towns and rural areas, but a team of four 400-level students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), is working to change that.
Led by Ugwuoke Chinechrem, the students are making menstrual pads from plant materials, like banana fibres.
Their aim is to create pads that are cheap, safe, and good for the environment.
They also want to fight the stigma around periods, reduce waste from normal pads, and make sure girls can stay in school while women manage their periods comfortably.
By 2027, they plan to give pads to 3,000 women in communities across South-East Nigeria.
The project is already getting attention. In February 2026, the team won $2,500 in funding and support from the Enugu State Government. Facilitators, including Arinze Chilo Offiah, called their work a great example of regional innovation. Social media users are excited, too.
People are happy about both the health benefits and the eco-friendly nature of the pads. Banana fibres are natural, safe, and break down easily in the environment.
This work is also part of a bigger global trend. Students in other countries are using plants like river weeds or sisal to make pads that are better for the environment. UNN’s project does the same while solving a local problem.
Menstrual poverty affects 37 million girls and women in Nigeria, and some store-bought pads contain harmful chemicals, according to studies in South Africa. Programs like WECAN Sanitary Pad Bank and UNEP’s Young Champs also show that local solutions can make a big difference.
For the UNN students, this is more than just a project; it’s empowerment. They are proving that young Nigerians can simultaneously address health, environmental, and social challenges at the same time.
Their work is helping women have cleaner, safer periods and inspiring more students to create ideas that improve lives in South-East Nigeria and beyond.
