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Observing menstrual period has become a nightmare for women and girls in rural communities in Ogun State due to lack of access to clean water and sanitary products, exposing them to infections associated with poor hygiene, SODIQ OJUROUNGBE reports
Esther Ibukun strapped her two-year-old daughter on her back with a cloth wrapper, the familiar weight a mix of comfort and burden. Clad in a brightly coloured native wrapper, she approached the only well in her community, a place that had become both a means of survival and a source of discomfort. The sun hung high in the sky, casting sharp shadows on the dusty ground, where small stones crushed underfoot.
As she drew closer, the faint sound of water splashing echoed from the well, mingling with the distant chatter of other women gathering around. But as Ibukun peered into the depths, her heart sank. The water was muddy, with a brownish tint, and a strong, unpleasant smell rose from it. She hesitated, glancing at her daughter’s innocent face, then took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.
PUNCH Healthwise gathered that this dirty well was the only means of getting water for the people of Bamgbade, a community in the Obafemi Owode area of Ogun State.
“I have no choice,” she murmured under her breath to our correspondent. With practised ease, she lowered the bucket into the well, the creaking sound of the rope echoing her own resignation. She watched as the water pooled in the bottom, dark and uninviting, and felt a familiar wave of helplessness wash over her.
Ibukun revealed that she was not just fetching the water for drinking and cooking but also for the delicate hygiene rituals surrounding her menstrual period.
Menstruation, a natural part of life, had transformed into a recurring nightmare for Ibukun and many females in her community. Due to a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitary facilities, she and others had to improvise during their menstrual period.
Ibukun lamented that she had endured the pain and discomfort associated with menstruation, often facing the risk of recurring infections due to poor hygiene.
“Menstruation, which should be a natural part of life, has become a nightmare for me and so many women in my community. We lack access to clean water and proper sanitary facilities, so we’re forced to improvise with whatever we can find.
“I have endured not just the physical pain and discomfort, but also the constant worry about infections that come from poor hygiene. Every month feels like a battle, and it’s a struggle that seems never-ending. It breaks my heart to think about the girls growing up in this environment, facing the same challenges and shame. We deserve better,” Ibukun stressed.
During a chat with PUNCH Healthwise, the memories resurfaced like open wounds, as another resident of Bamgbade, Sherifat Tejuosho narrated the ongoing struggles faced by women in her community.
“We used whatever we could find, including rags and old clothes, to clean ourselves during our menstrual period.
“Water is a luxury here and we would trek miles to other communities before we can get clean water. And because of this stress, we are left to either use the dirty water we can get from the dirty well in our community or find other means of taking care of ourselves,” she explained in Yoruba.
Tejuosho described her body as a battleground, constantly ravaged by recurring infections caused by the unhygienic practices she had to endure during her menstrual period.
She added, “I have had to treat so many infections, including yeast, bacteria, and others. There were times I couldn’t walk or sit comfortably. The pain was unbearable.
“It is either we go to a neighbouring community which is a 30 to 45-minute journey to get sachet water during our menstrual period or we use the water we can get from our dirty well like that.”
Tejuosho, who broke down in tears during the conversation, lamented that her daughters and granddaughters have inherited this painful legacy.
“It breaks my heart to see them go through the same struggles,” she said, her voice filled with emotion.
“We still hold on to hope. Although we now sometimes travel to a neighbouring community to buy sachet water, it’s not always financially feasible. Whenever we can’t afford it, we are left with no choice but to use the contaminated water.”
She shared the painful story of one of her daughters, who felt compelled to leave the community with her child due to the ongoing challenges.
“She told me she couldn’t even visit for two days because she couldn’t risk using the contaminated water, after suffering from various infections since childhood,” Tejuosho recounted.
Like Ibukun and Tejuosho, many women in rural Nigeria face similar challenges, where insufficient access to clean water and poor sanitation make managing menstruation health even more challenging.
Communities like Bamigbade, Tonawo, and Agbadu, located in different parts of Ogun State, continue to struggle with a lack of access to clean water.
In these areas, girls and women were reportedly forced to rely on contaminated rivers and streams or travel for hours to find a reliable water source.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that the dire water situation in these communities has impacted the health and well-being of women and girls.
During visits to these areas, our correspondent observed that the available water sources were often contaminated, either coming from dirty streams or polluted wells.
In all the communities visited, there was no clean water, and residents, especially women, had to depend on dirty streams and rivers to take care of their daily needs.
For residents of Bamgbade, their only source of water is a stagnant stream infested with harmful bacteria and fungi.
The residents lamented that despite the community’s existence for more than 40 years, they have not enjoyed the luxury of having access to potable water.
According to them, their survival has been hinged on the stagnant stream, which they nicknamed ‘Baba Green River’.
The stream sits idly under a giant tree, surrounded by decaying vegetation. It needs no scientific evidence to prove that it is a bequest of fungal and bacterial activities.
Women in Bamgbade told our correspondent that they either embarked on an hour’s journey to another village to get water, or they relied on the dirty, and stinking stream during the menstrual period.
Murky, dirty water
It was a similar situation at Tonawo. Residents of this community rely on a river that has become polluted.
The river, once a source of life, is now a source of sickness. Many of the villagers suffer from diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and other illnesses caused by the polluted water. Babies and young children are the most vulnerable, often becoming severely ill or dying from unsafe water.
The water in the river is a dark, murky brown colour, and it has a foul, rotten smell. Floating in the water are bits of garbage, plastic, and animal waste.
It was observed that the banks of the river are littered with trash, and the riverbed is clogged with debris.
Our correspondent gathered that the once-crystal-clear water is now cloudy and full of bacteria, making it unsafe to drink. The river is no longer a source of life, but a symbol of death and despair.
Another polluted river
The villagers of Agbadu can no longer bathe in the river in their communities, and they have to spend hours each day walking to the nearest community with relatively clean water.
The distance between their communities and other neighbouring villages is more than two hours, and this has left the villagers with no choice but to return to the polluted river for water.
The women are the ones who bear the brunt of the burden, having to carry the heavy buckets of water back to their homes. Their backs ache, their feet are sore, and their hopes are fading. They long for the days when the river was clean and full of life.
Findings by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that these unsanitary conditions expose women and girls to a range of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and dysentery, leading to frequent illnesses that disrupt their daily lives and hinder educational opportunities.
During a visit to the Bamgbade community, located just a kilometre from the bustling Lagos-Ibadan expressway, 15-year-old Bolu Adegbile was washing plates outside her father’s house.
She shared her frustrations about the lack of clean water in the area, which has made managing her menstrual period particularly challenging for her and her peers.
Adegbile explained that many girls often miss school during their periods due to severe pain and discomfort, while others struggle with unpleasant odours.
She said, “I am a native of this place, and my dad is a herbalist. Every time I come here, there is no electricity, no network, and no clean water. Life here is very difficult.”
Adegbile continued, “Whenever I use the local water, it makes my skin itch, and if I drink it, I end up with stomach pains. We really need the government’s help.
“When my dad is financially okay, I use sachet water for hygiene during my menstrual period but sometimes I don’t have a choice but to use the dirty water in the community. Buying clean water is a challenge; I have to spend N600 on transport just to buy two sachets of ‘pure water’ for N50 each, but even that doesn’t feel safe.”
Terrible stories
It was a heart-wrenching tale for the women who spoke with our correspondent during the visit to Bamgbade and other rural communities. The women narrated how their lives have been negatively impacted by the lack of access to clean water, especially during their menstrual period.
They lamented that the scarcity of clean water worsens the challenges they face, making an already difficult time even more unbearable.
Just like Adegbile, who spent N600 just to get two sachets of ‘pure water’ to clean herself up during menstruation, many of the women said they had to compromise by finding alternatives to reduce the illnesses they contracted during the period.
39-year-old Maria Sunday, who lives in Agbadu, said they use the dirty water in the community to drink, bathe, and do other house chores despite its dirty condition.
She added that the unpleasant odour from the water is just one of the many challenges they face, as the well water is deemed undrinkable, forcing them to seek alternatives.
“We use this well to clean ourselves, but the water smells. Whenever it becomes too foul, we stop using it altogether,” she explained.
Sunday recounted her personal experiences with the well water, which have resulted in painful consequences.
“Whenever I use the water from the well, I experience serious itches that lead to rashes. The discomfort is so severe that it sometimes has a physical impact.
“I just can’t show you my buttocks. You will see what we call ‘Kurukuru’, known as rashes,” she explained.
She added that the impact of poor water quality extends beyond adults, as children in the community were also affected.
She added, “If I could show you my stomach, it’s covered in rashes. We want the government to help us provide good and potable water, with markets for easy transportation. We strive a lot to get things here.”
Corroborating her, another resident of Agbadu, Olusola Babatunde, said the water causes itches and rashes for both young and old in the community.
“I have kids and I gave birth to them here. All she said is true; the water causes itches and rashes, and we can’t even drink it.
“We go very far to get water. I also go to the market to get a pad; that’s the only place to get it, and whenever it gets exhausting, I use clothes too.
“I have a grown child who has reached puberty. We have many of them here and they do the exact thing we do too. We also get pads for them but when it finishes, they also use cloth. We taught them how to do it properly.
“The water causes malaria too. In fact, there’s a disease called ‘okosho’, that comes out of our children and we were told the water causes it. What the water has caused is so much and they have to help us find solutions to it.”
Janet Monday, who also lives in Agbadu, said the women used to put alum inside the dirty water before they could use it to clean themselves up during menstruation.
She appealed to the government to provide the community with potable water so as to alleviate the suffering they are going through.
She noted, “When a woman is menstruating, she is expected not to stay without cleaning herself from morning till night. So, for a woman like that who needs to go and first fetch the water and put alum in for several hours before using, it is really a frustrating process for us.
“I don’t give my children the water to drink. I only buy ‘pure water’. This is making it unbearable for us to live. We want the government to provide water for us.”
Battling infections
Every month, when the women in these villages have their menstrual period, PUNCH Healthwise gathered that they faced a difficult choice of either using the dirty water to clean themselves or going without cleaning themselves at all.
More than ten of the women in different communities, who spoke with our correspondent, confirmed that using dirty water often causes them to develop rashes, infections, and other painful conditions.
A 28-year-old resident of Agbadu, Joy Adetona, lamented that many women in her community have suffered from urinary tract infections and other ailments directly linked to poor hygiene during their periods.
“Every month, I worry about infections. When I don’t have clean water, I can’t properly wash myself or change my pads. It feels like I am just waiting for something bad to happen,” she said.
During our correspondent’s visit to a primary health centre, a few kilometres from Bamgbade community, a local health worker simply identified as Fatima confirmed that many women from the community were seeking treatment for infections.
She explained that the lack of access to clean water contributes to these health issues, as poor hygiene during menstruation increases the risk of infections.
“We see many women coming in with infections that could have been easily prevented with access to clean water,” she stated.
Also, a community leader at Tonawo, Joseph Bamgbose, said there are always reports of irregularities in the menstrual cycles of women in the community due to the dirty water used during the period.
He revealed that many women in the community have suffered infections and other life-threatening diseases.
He added, “Instead of our wives seeing their menstruation regularly, sometimes they miss it; it fluctuates; there are so many diseases.
“So many of them (wives) ran away. Sometimes, when we go to the hospital, they are always amazed at the type of illness we bring. They even ask where we live. But we can’t leave our father’s land; that’s why we need the government’s intervention.”
Menstruation is a natural biological process that is often recognised as a period of change from adolescence to womanhood. Millions of adolescent women worldwide are denied the right to manage their menstrual period in a dignified and healthy manner.
According to the World Bank, as many as 500 million people across the globe lack access to basic menstrual products and hygienic bathroom facilities for use during their menstrual periods.
The World Bank noted that this lack of affordability and accessibility to menstrual products, coupled with cultural stigma and other societal factors, plays a large role in perpetuating the cycle of what is known as “period poverty.”
Another report by the United Nations Children’s Fund identified stigma, poverty, and lack of access to basic services like toilets and water as factors causing menstrual health problems and increasing risk of infections for women and girls.
Nigeria’s former minister of women’s affairs, Pauline Tallen, during the 2022 World Menstrual Hygiene Day, also claimed that over 37 million Nigerian adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, lack access to menstrual hygiene products due to high costs.
Tallen also said this could affect girl-child education in the country, as many schoolgirls spend days at home during periods, due to a lack of menstrual products.
She further noted that the high cost of menstrual products was disturbing, and called for the affordability of sanitary pads in Nigeria.
The percentage of teenage girls in rural Nigeria who exclusively use hygienic materials such as sanitary napkins, locally-made napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups, to prevent bloodstains during menstruation is still surprisingly low.
Poor menstrual hygiene practices are still on the increase in African countries. In addition to rashes, itching, foul odour, and many other reproductive health morbidities, these poor menstrual hygiene practices lead to reproductive tract infections.
A study published in the “BMC Public Health” journal found that women who used contaminated water to clean themselves during their periods were more likely to have urinary tract infections, cervical lesions, and sexually-transmitted infections.
The study, which was conducted in Brazil, looked at the health consequences of using unclean water during menstruation.
The study involved over 1,000 women, and it showed that these health problems were more common among women who used contaminated water than among women who did not.
The research discovered that the women who used contaminated water were 2.5 times more likely to have a urinary tract infection than the women who did not use contaminated water.
The researchers who conducted the study believe that the contaminated water may have contained bacteria that caused these infections.
Barrier to Learning
An investigation by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that the lack of access to affordable menstrual hygiene products and clean water has resulted in countless girls in rural communities like Bamigbade, Tonawo, and Agbadu missing school each month.
During a conversation with our correspondent, Adegbile explained that without proper supplies, she is forced to stay home, missing valuable lessons and falling behind in her studies.
She stated, “Whenever my period comes, I often can’t go to school. I feel embarrassed and worried about managing my menstrual hygiene.”
Just like her, many girls in some of these rural communities face similar struggles.
Also, 14-year-old Titi Bamgbose described how she often has to choose between staying home and facing the stigma associated with menstruation.
“When I don’t have enough pads, I don’t go to school. It’s not just because of the pain, it is the fear of what others will think if I leak or smell.
“I hate missing school, especially when we have tests or fun activities, but there are times I don’t have a choice.”
Access to clean water, a distant dream
According to data released by UNICEF, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed water services, including 1.5 billion with “basic services,” 292 million with “limited” water, 296 million who used unimproved sources, and 115 million who still collected drinking water directly from rivers, lakes, and other surface water sources.
UNICEF noted that the data reveal pronounced disparities, with the poorest and those living in rural areas least likely to use a basic service. In most countries, the burden of water collection continues to fall, mainly on women and girls.
The global organisation discovered that 16 per cent of the population worldwide, which equates to 1.8 billion people, collects water from sources located off-premises.
Of those, 63 per cent of women are responsible for carrying water, compared to 26 per cent of men.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 45 per cent of the population collects water, and women are four times more likely than men to be responsible for fetching water.
Similarly, a 2022 report by the World Bank showed that approximately 70 million Nigerians had no access to basic drinking water services and 114 million were without basic sanitation facilities in 2021.
The report titled ‘Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership’ showed that access to piped water declined from 36 per cent in 1990 to 11 per cent in 2021.
The report read in part, “In 2021, approximately 70 million Nigerians had no access to basic drinking water services, and 114 million were without basic sanitation facilities. Access to piped water declined from 36 per cent in 1990 to 11 per cent in 2021. An estimated 19 per cent of Nigerians practised open defecation in 2020, and faecal sludge is commonly released untreated into the environment.
“Urban water utilities largely fail to meet the needs of their already small customer base, forcing a majority to rely on expensive and often unsafe alternatives, such as private water vendors and shallow private wells.”
Unclean water, an agent of vaginal infection —Expert
A public health expert, Dr. Ihegboro Minachiso, warned that the usage of unclean water during menstruation is the fastest way of getting a vaginal infection.
Minachiso noted that the combination of dirt from unclean water and menstrual blood which is a culture medium for microorganisms is not a healthy practice.
According to her, during menstruation, the woman’s body opens to the inside of the womb—the uterus—thereby, if an unclean substance is within the area, it can allow upward migration of those substances to the inner part.
She added, “Unclean water simply means water that has been contaminated. Menstrual hygiene, in other words, are healthy practices expected from women during their menstrual period come once a month. Menstruation is a normal and healthy part of life experienced by women of reproductive age—before menopause.
“Menstrual flow comes out in the form of blood. Some of the unhealthy practices include, but are not limited to, the high chances of getting the bladder infected.
“The chances of having pelvic inflammatory disease increases. Also, urinary tract infections cannot be excluded.”
Lack of access to clean water increases ‘period poverty’
The Programme Director of the Wellness Africa Foundation, Omotola Akinmolayan, expressed concern that the non-availability in many of the communities will continue to increase the statistics of period poverty.
Akinmolayan added that girls who experience menstrual poverty won’t be able to attend school because they lack access to the supplies they require during their period, including water.
According to her, such a lady may begin to meet some guys just to be able to get money to be able to probably purchase pads. Along the way, some of them contract sexually-transmitted infections, and we can see that period poverty is increasing the incidence of STDs both in Nigeria and globally.
She stressed, “Period poverty is when a girl or woman doesn’t have access to period products like menstrual pads, other things she can use during menstruation, or other basic amenities that she needs while menstruating.
“Period poverty can affect people directly and indirectly. We see it happen in different communities due to a lack of access to water to clean, freshen up, or bathe when menstruating, and when this happens, some people have no choice but to get dirty water to clean up, which can expose their reproductive tracts to genital infections.
“This can affect them even in the long term. Some will even go days without having their baths during menstruation due to a lack of access to water. And also, because of a lack of access to some of these amenities, some people use leaves or rags when menstruating.”
The way forward
Minachiso advised females against using sanitary pads for longer than six hours to eliminate the risk of rashes and vaginal yeast infections.
She added, “Women should be encouraged to change their sanitary wear after four to eight hours of usage, irrespective of the quantity of flow.
“They should also boil water if they are not sure of the safety of the water to be used for cleaning. They also need to wash their hands before and after changing sanitary pads, towels, or tampons.
“Good menstrual health and hygiene practices prevent odour and infection, and also help you stay comfortable during menstruation.”
On her part, Akinmolayan said there is a need for reorientation of women and girls on the importance of taking care of their personal and environmental hygiene.
To protect women from infection, she also urged well-meaning people and organisations to help people living in remote areas by providing them with potable water and other menstruation supplies.
She said, “We have to make our girls and women know that it is important for them to take care of themselves in terms of personal and environmental hygiene. In terms of personal hygiene, they need access to all of these things.
“That is why we are saying that we need well-meaning individuals and organisations to know that there are people in different communities, especially under-served communities, that need help, and support to have access to safe water because the government cannot do it alone. We need to tackle this major crisis in our communities.”
Our efforts to provide water —Ogun govt.
The Ogun State government said efforts are underway to tackle water challenges faced by residents in rural communities across the state.
The programme manager of Ogun State Rural Water Supply Sanitation Agency, Sola Okunbo, said the government has continued to use available resources to provide water at strategic places across the state.
Okunbo said the Ogun State government, in partnership with the federal government, constructed solar-powered boreholes in 96 locations within four LGAs in the state.
He added that not less than 80 water facilities were constructed by the state government in another LGA to match what the federal government has done in that regard.
He further said, “We know we cannot do it all. Our rural areas are very numerous, because every year, we make budget provisions for interventions in those areas.
“In 2023 alone, we had budget provision made to those areas and before the end of the year, there will be intervention.
“Ogun State government also provided other counterpart projects in another LGA. Up till now, we keep getting requests for intervention from various communities.
“Government is doing everything to eliminate water-borne diseases, and to also dissuade our rural dwellers from fetching water from streams and rivers to avoid water-related diseases.”
Other interventions by govt
Okunbo said there had been continuous sensitisation of people on how to improve their hygiene and also train them on how to conduct simple household water treatment using treatment kits.
He added, “We have gotten the kits to rural dwellers through the support of UNICEF.
“We have also sensitised people on how to control cholera outbreak. Cholera comes through open defecation as well and that is why we are doing a campaign against open defecation.
“By the time we end open defecation and water is available, and people are well informed, they are improved their hygiene, they will know the right thing to do.
“Four LGAs—including Yewa North LGA and Ipokia LGA—are where the intervention took place. In Yewa North, 14 rural communities received our interventions.
“In Ado-Odo/Ota, 18 different communities received the intervention. In Ijebu East LGA, intervention also took place.
“The local government authorities were involved, to let you know that we carried the grassroots government along during the selection of those communities and after. We have communities we have trained at the local government level.
“We also gave them the kits that they can use to maintain the facilities that they were given, so that we can have sustainability and maintenance of those facilities in Ikenne.
“As we speak, the Ogun State government wants to key into another programme called the Sustainable Urban Water Supply Programme to make sure that we bridge the gap in water supply. We thank God so far that the coverage is now around 45 per cent and we are moving to about 50 per cent. It’s a good way to measure that we are increasing. We can only encourage the government to do more.”
This report was facilitated by the Africa Centre for Development Journalism (ACDJ) as part of its 2024 Inequalities Reporting Fellowship supported by the MacArthur Foundation through the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
