The One Girl One Pad project is borne out of the need to empower young girls and women who are going through various forms of stigmatization, abuse and health challenges as a result of their natural monthly cycle.
Most poor and vulnerable girls in Nigeria face a lot of stigmatization during the course of their period. Some of these girls stay outside and dig holes to the ground, enclose themselves in a sand muddle and pass out their period there for the whole three to five days without going anywhere. In areas like this in Nigeria, these girls have no clear orientation of more hygienic ways to pass out their periods. In another rather saddening dimension, there are also some young girls who do not have the finance to get the pads they need and so in a bid to raise the little token sometimes, they get exploited while some are sexually abused in their quest to look for money to buy menstrual pads and so what should be a proud period in their lives, turn out to be their most dreadful experience. Some other young girls suffer from extreme body odour due to lack of proper menstrual management and hygiene too. They develop low self esteem and cannot stand their fellow girls when they manage to go out of their environment. For most of these girls too, menstruation is like a dream-killer because they never get to attend schools during menstruation. While for others who cannot afford a good menstrual pad, they rely on old rags and leaves as alternatives. There is no gainsaying the detrimental health challenges faced by these poor girls and women as a result of these unhygienic practices. This is why the One Girl One Pad Initiative has been created to address this crucial need among the highlighted vulnerable group in our society today.
Project Objectives
- To strengthen the role of the family in improving the status of the girl child
- To eliminate discrimination against girls in health and hygiene by increasing awareness of the need for menstrual hygiene management for the girls in the rural areas.
- To promote and protect the right of girls and increase awareness of their needs and potentials
- To periodically donate menstrual hygiene materials to poor and vulnerable young school girls in the rural areas of Nigeria.
Target Population and Location
- To pilot the programme, about 2000 poor girls in the rural areas who are to be reached annually across South Eastern Nigeria.
- The long-term plan is to replicate the same project in other Nigerian states through support and partnership with corporate and government bodies
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Women Empowerment Education and Peace Building Initiative
0303161302
Guaranty Trust Bank