PROJECT BACKGROUND:

The Girls Sanitary Pads Support project is a Community Based project with great significance of a positive influence on the girl child on their health and school life and retention in schools. We are looking forward to reaching adolescent girls especially  school- going girls in upper primary and secondary levels from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds starting puberty  with a target to provide sanitary towels to them. Girls from such families that can’t afford to provide for ably all the necessities including the little fees they pay in rural schools find it impossible to ask for money to buy pads during their periods and resort to sugar daddies as an alternative to give them money to buy pads because feel too shy to share such moments with the parents as some parents are not willing to listen and rarely hold meetings with their children. The Initiative will organize trainings and question-and-answer sessions to give girls a forum to discuss related issues along with female teachers and other staff in the schools. Other forums will be utilized to bridge the gap that exists between the girls and their parents on menstrual debates, girls and boys to ensure the program’s effectiveness and longevity as well as the confidence and empowerment of the adolescent girls. By providing knowledge on menstrual hygiene management and reproductive health, the status of the girls will be enhanced as myths and misconceptions that surround puberty and menstruation will also be addressed.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Although menstruation is a monthly reality and compulsory to all Females, Most people feel ashamed to debate issues of menstruation with young girls especially those getting into puberty stage to prepare them for the new challenge. Thus first time menstruating girls get it as a surprise and an embarrassment when they are laughed at by boys at school when their dresses are soiled.

Many girls from poor families even face it harder during this stage when they cannot afford to buy sanitary materials and end up using tiny rags which are insecure and uncomfortable to stay with at school and decide to stay at home and miss classes, in the long run get stigmatized, loss courage and drop out of school

In such instances, on average a girl misses a minimum of 4 days per cycle which totals to a minimum of two weeks out of school per term and about 39 learning days in an academic year.

For the most girls we talked to said, their inability to afford sanitary towels/pads greatly impacts on their education and causes a lot of stigma to them. They revealed that, “during their periods, they use rags and sometimes toilet papers which do not make them comfortable in class, loss concentration as they keep wondering or sometimes wrap sweaters around their waists to avoid seeing a soiled uniform”.  The worst is when others laugh at you especially boys, you feel too ashamed to return back to school and drop out of school. They further testified that such conditions compel them to accept monetary offers from men which they payback by offering their bodies that as well expose them to many dangers including HIV, pregnancies, and diseases. This adds up to the other already existing problems that lead to the high dropout rate of female students in primary and secondary schools.

WEFO through this project would like to also construct Girls only private toilets and washroom facilities, soap and water to increase girls’ privacy and stay in school during their periods and in an attempt to empower poor and vulnerable girls and integrate menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and reproductive health education campaigns in schools/communities.

PROJECT MISSION & VISION
MISSION

To give happy learning days to adolescent girls in schools

VISION

To have hygienic and strong young girls in schools

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:
PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

The overriding objective to Sanitary pads is to ensure that every Girl reaching puberty does not have to miss school during periods or drop out of school altogether . Other objectives are;

  • To increase access of sanitary pads to vulnerable adolescent girls
  • To provide comprehensive menstrual hygiene management (MHM) knowledge to girls
  • To increase self-esteem, confidence and health of needy girls.
  • Reduce the girl to parent dependency for sanitary towels every month