For adolescent girls with disabilities at the Kaduna State Special Education School (KADSSES), access to water is key to managing menstruation safely.

In addition, the findings showed that the school also needs solar-powered lights, additional staff, and learning materials to care for its about 1,000 disabled children.

The challenge came into focus yesterday when the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board (KSPHCB), with support from UNICEF, the Society for Family Health (SFH) and other development partners, engaged the students in sexual and reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, mental health and the prevention of gender-based violence.

The sensitisation, organised as part of the International Adolescent Health Week, also exposed gaps in the students’ knowledge of menstrual hygiene and mental health, highlighting the need for health education that addresses the specific needs of adolescents with disabilities.

The adolescent desk officer at the board, Bilkisu Tanimu Zailani, said the school was selected because adolescents with disabilities were often excluded from health awareness programmes.

She explained that interactions with the students revealed gaps in their understanding of menstrual hygiene and mental health, necessitating targeted interventions.

According to her, the programme was designed to equip students with practical information on personal hygiene, safe menstrual management, and health protection.

However, Zailani acknowledged that the students raised concerns about inadequate water supply and other facilities in the school, challenges that could undermine their ability to practise the hygiene lessons they were taught.

She said the board would refer the water supply problem to its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) unit for attention by the relevant authorities.

The intervention, themed “Nothing About Us Without Us: Power, Voice and Health Equity for All Adolescents,” seeks to ensure that young people, particularly those whose needs are often overlooked, participate in decisions that affect their health and well-being.

The programme began on 13 October and is scheduled to end on 19 October.

Head of HIV Counselling and Testing at Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna, Amos Isuwa, said starting the state’s activities with adolescents with disabilities was a deliberate effort to promote inclusion.

Isuwa, an adolescent and young people’s health consultant with the board, said the sensitisation covered HIV, sexually transmitted infections, gender-based violence, menstrual health and personal hygiene.

He said sign language interpretation was provided to ensure that students with hearing impairments could understand the presentations and participate meaningfully.

Beyond physical health, Isuwa drew attention to the emotional difficulties adolescents with disabilities could experience when they faced rejection, isolation or treatment that made them feel unwanted.

He warned that such experiences could affect their mental well-being, particularly when family members or peers treated them as burdens instead of including them in everyday activities.

According to him, the students’ questions about depression and social withdrawal demonstrated the importance of helping them recognise possible mental health challenges among themselves and their peers.

He encouraged adolescents experiencing depression or isolation to speak out and seek guidance from trusted people who could help them access appropriate support.

The school’s Senior Master Welfare, Dr Joseph Yakubu, commended the organisers for bringing health education directly to the students.

Yakubu said the students participated actively and learnt practical ways to protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

He also welcomed the demonstration on the use of sanitary pads, saying it helped students understand menstrual hygiene practices.

He expressed hope that similar programmes would be organised regularly to improve the students’ health knowledge and well-being.

For the students, however, the lasting value of the intervention would depend not only on the information they receive but also on whether they have access to the water, facilities and support needed to put that knowledge into practice.