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One in 10 girls in Africa miss school during their periods to avoid the embarrassment of bleeding through their uniforms. Some use unhygienic items like cloth, socks, leaves, or dry grass instead of pads, which can lead to infections. Many girls drop out of school once they start menstruating. Should our young girls miss 20% of school days or drop out because of a lack of information or sanitary products?
The plain answer is NO!
There’s already a lot standing in their way; from pervasive poverty to persistent cultural attitudes, to forced early marriages and child labour.
Periods shouldn’t be one of them!
Many girls face period poverty (lack of access to menstrual products and education) due to financial barriers, stigma, and a lack of education about periods, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse.
Talking about periods should not be boring. To truly connect with young schoolgirls, we use what they already love: comic books, animations, and digital learning games.
PadHer makes learning about periods and puberty fun, free, and accessible for young African schoolgirls in underserved communities. Our comic series, Girls Only, follows Amanda, a 12-year-old navigating her first period, helping readers understand puberty, body changes, and sexual and reproductive health through a relatable story. Our animated series features Gigi and Mimi, guided by Freya, as they learn in a playful, shame-free way. Our digital games reinforce knowledge through interactive gameplay that builds confidence and vocabulary.
Each Girls Only comic is distributed free and includes sanitary pads to address period poverty. We also visit schools to distribute comics and host interactive workshops where girls can ask questions and learn in safe, supportive spaces.
To ensure girls can access guidance even outside workshops, we created Ask Dr. Joy, our AI-powered period support tool. Available on the web and WhatsApp, Dr. Joy provides private, on-demand, age-appropriate answers about periods and puberty, acting like a trusted big sister girls can turn to anytime.
To reduce stigma in schools, we also created Boys Too, a complementary comic available in English and French that helps boys understand periods, empathy, and respect, building more supportive school environments for girls
PadHer has reached 36 schools and 18 underserved communities across Africa, distributing over 8,342 printed comic books and 25,026 free reusable sanitary pads.
Beyond in-person delivery, PadHer provides free digital downloads of its comic books, an animated series, digital interactive learning games, and Ask Dr. Joy, our AI-powered period support tool. While Ask Dr. Joy focuses on periods and puberty, it can also help answer other sexual and reproductive health questions that girls may have. Through this blended offline and digital approach, PadHer has impacted more than 150,000 young African schoolgirls.
Founded in Nigeria, PadHer has expanded to Kenya and, through $140,000 in grant funding, scaled into Ghana. This growth reflects strong demand for our culturally relevant, story-based model. Building on proven impact and partnerships, PadHer plans to expand into Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda next year.
PadHer operates as both a non-profit and social enterprise to ensure sustainability. As a non-profit, we provide free menstrual education and sanitary pads in underserved communities. As a social enterprise, we sell Girls Only comics and eco-friendly, low-cost reusable pads, reinvesting profits to fight period poverty. For every pad sold, one is donated to a girl in need.
Over time, we have refined PadHer to better meet the needs of girls across Africa.
Our comic books have been translated into 15 African languages, ensuring girls can understand and connect with the message regardless of their location or language.
We also adapt our materials to reflect Africa’s cultural and religious diversity. Before entering a new region, we study local customs, beliefs, and values, adjusting our content where needed so it educates while remaining respectful. This approach builds trust with families, schools, and community leaders.
Girls also told us that teasing and bullying by boys, especially after uniform stains, is a major challenge. In response, we introduced Boys Too, a complementary comic designed to help boys understand periods and build empathy, reducing stigma in school environments.
To extend support beyond physical workshops, we expanded our learning ecosystem to include animations, digital learning games, and Ask Dr. Joy, which provides girls with private, on-demand guidance whenever they need reassurance.
By combining storytelling, language access, cultural sensitivity, inclusive education, digital learning tools, and AI-supported mentorship, PadHer ensures that no girl is left uninformed or unsupported during her period.
PadHer partners with local NGOs across Africa to bring period education directly into schools in underserved communities, teaching and mentoring young girls on effective period management.
Teachers and school leaders who would like their schools to benefit from PadHer’s programs can suggest their school for outreach here.
Our learning resources are also freely available online. The Girls Only comic books can be downloaded here, and Episode 1 of our animated series can be watched here.
Girls can also learn through our digital interactive games — Catch It! and Spot It! — which adapt difficulty based on the player’s performance.
To support inclusive learning, the Boys Too comic is available in English and French.
Girls can chat privately with Ask Dr. Joy, our AI-powered period support tool that provides safe, real-time answers with emotional tone awareness and emergency detection, on the web or on WhatsApp here.
Organizations interested in partnering with PadHer to bring our innovations to their communities can reach us at info@padher.org.
