My 8year Old self and the panic about my period beginning in public

Eight years old, wide eyed and impressionable, I am seated in elementary school in the oil rich city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 
Mrs  Okoloba my teacher, is teaching  us about the monthly cycle in a science class. Neka (my bestie back then who sadly, passed away about 8 years ago☹️) and I became worried, constantly checking each other’s skirts for the telltale red spot. Little did we know that it would take years before we would see it and that it would not embarrass us at it’s start in class or in public. Most women I know saw a tiny spot which was sorted in private before it could become a stain.  A period should be private and comfortable. Every little girl or young woman should have proper education,a safe start and smooth relationship with her period. 
I was almost done with high school before mine started. “Late”bloomer maybe? 
Fast forward to 2018 I was really sad when a few days to the end of my beautiful second vacation to Nairobi Kenya, I met some girls in a slum who for lack of funds to buy sanitary towels, got cash favoured from some men who demanded s e x in exchange. A number of them fell pregnant as a result. 
Cycle need stopped for months but new need of childcare for life began. I couldn’t believe it. A classic tale of from fry pan to fire. 
My team and I swung into action. We donated boxes and boxes of sanitary pads to these girls.  

I got back home to Nigeria and found another set of teenage moms and a few had the same sob stories like the girls in Nairobi, men who took advantage of them because they needed money for sanitary pads. 
 Since 2018, my team and I have constantly given free pads to teenagers in schools, in rural communities just to make every girl we reach experience dignity and comfort during her cycle. 

We intend to do more, as we grow capacity.  we could partner governments and  Non Profit organizations, to give free pads to indigent teenage girls. 
We can’t choose to not have a period  when broke, can we?

Wherever you are, please “sponsor a period” and help a girl have dignity and comfort during her cycle.

#sponsoraperiod!