Procter & Gamble, Nigeria’s leading consumer goods company has signed into partnership with the National Center for Women Development (NCWD) to celebrate the 2020 International Day of the Girl Child. With this initiative, the company has provided 4,000 Always® sanitary pads and 20,000 Pampers® diapers to promote health and hygiene management among young mothers and adolescent girls in the rural areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Cross River state. The announcement was made ahead of the international day of the girl child celebration and the distribution of products by the National Center for Women Development to 500 mothers in Mabushi village, FCT recently. Speaking on the partnership, P&G’ Africa Senior Director for Global Government Relations & Public Policy, Mrs. Temitope Iluyemi said: “At P&G, we steadily uphold our promise to make everyday life better for our consumers. Our brands continue to improve the lives of people in the communities where we live and work. More than ever, we feel privileged to collaborate with the National Center for Women Development in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child which advocates the importance, power, and potential of girls across the world”. “We are committed to creating a world where women and girls have equal opportunities and an equal voice. As such, not only do we dedicate efforts to the empowerment and fulfillment of their aspirations, we are also driving this year’s global theme; ‘My Voice, Our Equal Future’. In honor of this day, we have given thousands of sanitary pads and diapers to bring attention, action, and enthusiasm to helping girls and every girl child reach their full potential through adequate hygiene management.” Ms. Mary Ekpere-Eta, Director-General of National Center for Women Development, explained that “The fact that the pace of girls in Nigeria is not in line with the realities they face has further reinforced existing gaps and strengthened gender inequalities. In partnership with Procter and Gamble for the distribution of sanitary materials to 1,000 girls, the 2020 theme, “My voice our equal future”, is targeted at girls organizing themselves and demanding their rights such as to live free from violence, attend and complete school, to choose whom and when to marry, and to earn equal pay for equal work.” Ms Ekpere-Eta added that “As schools are reopening, the full impact of COVID-19 on the girl child will be realized. Hence, I call for investment in education for girls and ensuring they remain in school, as this is the best option to enable girls reach their dreams and better their livelihood.” Through its Always® Keeping Girls in School Program (AKGIS) and Always® School Program, P&G has continued to drive menstrual hygiene awareness and have invested in menstrual health education which has reached vulnerable girls with essential menstrual health management training and donation of a year supply of sanitary pads, so that they can commit to their education and their future while the Always® School program has provided almost a Million school-age girls with Always® sanitary towels, puberty and hygiene education and over 150 educational grants to pursue their dreams. Procter & Gamble, producer of notable brands like Always®, Ariel®, Pampers®, Gillette®, Oral B® and Safeguard®, has been an active investor in Nigeria for over 25 years in Nigeria