Five hearing-impaired Nigerian schoolgirls have developed a digital solution to improve access to menstrual products, earning international recognition at the 2026 Technovation Girls World Summit in Bengaluru, India.
Their application, Saving Pad, was presented at the global summit after the team competed against thousands of teams from more than 160 countries. Designed to address barriers to menstrual health support, the platform connects users with nearby sanitary pad banks and provides access to educational resources.
The developers are students from Government Secondary School, Kuje, Abuja, who form the STRIM Girls team. They are Yusuf Ruth, Moses Joy, Adegbile Teniola Vivian, Ukpapi Theresa Uzepi and Sulaiman Maryam Adenike Isah. The Technology Beyond Disability Initiative mentored the students and announced their achievement on Monday via a statement.
The application was developed with particular attention to deaf girls and students with disabilities, who may face additional challenges obtaining menstrual health information and essential supplies. Its features include an interactive map of sanitary pad banks, a product-request system, period tracking and menstrual health education.
The students summed up the purpose of their innovation in a statement: “Because when a girl’s period starts, the question should never be: ‘What am I going to do?’ It should be: ‘I know where to go.’”
Beyond helping users locate sanitary products, Saving Pad provides tools for managing their distribution. Coordinators can monitor available supplies and receive alerts when stocks run low, while non-governmental organisations and donor agencies can track distribution, assess demand and coordinate the replenishment of pad banks. These functions are intended to help participating organisations direct resources where they are needed.
The project has progressed to implementation through a partnership with the Deaf Women Aloud Initiative. Together, they have launched a pilot programme in three special schools in Abuja, with plans to extend the initiative to primary healthcare centres and vulnerable communities nationwide.
Sustaining that expansion will require reliable supplies and effective coordination among participating organisations. If successfully scaled, the platform could strengthen menstrual health support for girls in underserved communities.
At the Bengaluru summit, the students demonstrated how accessible technology and community-based intervention could contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on good health and well-being, quality education, and partnerships.
The STRIM Girls' achievement highlights the capacity of young Nigerians to develop practical responses to challenges affecting their communities. Their next milestone will be extending Saving Pad beyond its initial pilot, turning an innovation recognised on the international stage into a dependable resource for more girls across Nigeria.
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