Ada Bleeds in Silence: A Menstrual hygiene Story

Ada was only fifteen when she saw blood in her underwear for the first time. Her menarche.

It wasn’t a celebration. It wasn’t even a conversation. It was fear, confusion, shame and pain.#GBVSeries86

She didn’t know what was happening to her. No one had told her about menstruation. Nobody had explained what to expect, so when the blood came, she panicked. And when it stained her uniform in class, the laughter and whispers finished her.She ran home, hoping for comfort.

But her mother slapped her.

“Are you not ashamed? You’re now a woman and you’re walking carelessly. You want people to start calling your name in the street?”No hug. No explanation. Just a piece of torn wrapper and a warning.“Fold it like this. Don’t ever let any man see this. If people find out, they will think you are loose. And don’t go shouting it up and down. Hide it.”

From that day, Ada learned the rules;

Bleed quietly.

Suffer quietly.

Hide everything.

Her school didn’t help either. No pads. No proper toilets. No safe rooms. No support.

So she started skipping classes every month. Cramps tormented her. The folded rags itched, leaked, and smelled. But dignity was not her priority, survival was.

She stopped raising her hands in class. She stopped talking. She didn’t want to draw attention. Not even her closest friend knew what was going on. Because we taught her that periods are private, dirty, something to be ashamed of.

One month, the pain was too much. She was running a fever. The infection had gone too far, by the time she was rushed to the clinic, she was almost delirious.The doctor said the infection came from using dirty cloth repeatedly.

Her father shouted.“How can period cause this one now? She’s just being dramatic!”Her mother stood in the corner, weeping.But nobody said sorry.Nobody changed anything.And Ada? She stopped talking about her period. She just bled in silence.

This is what we do to our girls in Africa.

We hand them shame instead of education.We silence them with fear instead of preparing them with knowledge.We slap them for bleeding, then expect them to become confident young women.We give them old wrappers instead of sanitary pads.We act as if menstrual hygiene is a luxury, not a right. #RaiseDontRuin

In some religions, girls are banned from the altar or don't join others to pray  and fast during their periods.

In some schools, girls are still sent home for staining their uniforms.

In some families, girls are told not to cook because they are unclean when they’re menstruating.Some others are forbidden to touch some sacred items at home.

Some countries have 'menstrual huts' women and girls are obligated to stay in during their periods or shortly after the birth of their babies. It's isolated and far from residential buildings. There are many reports about women and girls who have been harmed staying in these huts, but this harmful cultural norm still exists.

Even in 2025, we are still treating menstrual blood as a curse.Let me say this loud and clear:

Periods are not dirty!

They are not a crime!

They are not a taboo!

What is shameful is a society that would rather teach girls to suffer in silence than provide them with means to stay healthy with their dignities intact.

To every parent reading this; What have you told your daughter about menstruation?Do you want her to menstruate in fear and confusion like Ada?

To every school owner; Do your toilets have running water? Or your school has no source of water supply?Do you have safe rooms, girls can change or lie down if periods starts while in school?

Do you have a pad bank accessible to every girl child enrolled in your school?Or you expect NGOs to donate, if they don't you won't provide.

To every religious leader; Are you teaching purity, or punishing girls a natural phenomenon?

To every policymaker; When will you realise that menstrual hygiene is not just a “women’s issue”? It is a national issue. It is a health issue. It is a dignity issue.

Ada is not just one girl. She is thousands of girls in the world. And until we end this culture of silence and shame, more Adas will suffer, immensly. More dreams will die quietly.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is not about pads. It is about power.The power to speak freely.The power to bleed without shame.The power to choose dignity over disgrace.

End the silence!

Fight harmful cultural norms!

Protect your daughters!

#PeriodNotShame

#LetGirlsBleedWithDignity #MenstrualJusticeNow

#EndTheSilence