Government Girls Day Secondary School, Runjin Sambo

Government Girls Day Secondary School, Runjin Sambo, a government school in Sokoto, Nigeria, has brought about a transformative shift in the lives of thousands of teenage girls through its Menstrual Hygiene programme, breaking down barriers to education and empowering them to reach their full potential. The school's unwavering commitment has not only improved the academic performance and health of its students but also produced future nurses and health personnel who are serving the community. This inspiring initiative is a shining example of how education can be a powerful tool for social change, providing hope and opportunities for girls who were once held back by taboos and stigma.

With a school population of about 4,000 teenage students aged 11 to 18 years old, Government Girls Day Secondary School created a multi-pronged approach to address the crisis in girls' access to quality education, with girls facing stigma, exclusion, discrimination, bullying, and gender-based violence. This approach involved guidance and counselling services, teacher-led programmes tackling menstrual trauma, physical, and mental effects, as well as referral services in the case of menstrual infections to access medical care, and mentorship to reconnect students to learning.

The school also organised in-school training programmes, clubs and societies, and peer-to-peer student forums, which created a supportive social environment with no restrictions in accessing menstrual hygiene management information. The peer-to-peer programme also encouraged communication towards ending taboos and stigma, sharing problems and experiences among students relating to menstruation.

Through these programs and activities, the school was able to impact about 4,000 girls with basic menstrual hygiene skills and knowledge. The school also produced many nurses and health personnel who are now serving the community, contributing to other sustainable areas such as introducing students to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and reproductive health.

If Government Girls Day Secondary School wins the World's Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, it intends to expand its menstrual hygiene awareness campaign to formal and informal public schools in the community, orphanage homes, internally displaced persons camps, and schools in rural areas. It also plans to acquire facilities and equipment to engage in the local production of sanitary pads to combat period poverty and empower its students with entrepreneurship skills.