Retaining girls in school and ending menstrual poverty.

This initiative is aimed at closing the existing disparity between boys and girls in school. Many girls are not getting an education which is a basic child's right. Education is the basic tool for girls to reach their potential and be change agents.

Of the many reasons why girls are not in school is the preference of the boy child over the girl. In low-income homes, funds are scarce and so if a choice needs to be made, a boy is always preferred over a girl: she drops out to make room for the boy. Girls are considered \"visitors\" to the family because they will grow up and get married and leave the family, so the little resources can not be wasted for someone else to benefit from.

Menstrual poverty is still a big deal in this part of the world. But even with the COVID pandemic and failing economies, girls still menstruate. It is a natural process of life, which becomes more difficult with the additional challenges. With menstrual products more difficult for girls from low-income homes to access, they resort to using rags, which are not properly managed, and they are likely to be exposed to infections.

Many girls are likely to stay home away from school on the days of their periods to save themselves from the embarrassment of smelling or being stained. The days missed out of school affect their performance and might lead to them dropping out completely and not being able to be what they should be.

There is an uncomfortable silence over menstruation generally, many of the girls are misinformed or uninformed about it so they need to be educated about it so they can make informed decisions about their bodies and their lives. This is why I aim to break the unhealthy menstrual silence and myths and stop menstrual poverty for the less fortunate.

My audience is comprised by:

-Girls in communities, mainly in slums and rural areas.

-Secondary Schools.

-Communities and community leaders.

-Local government Representatives.

In this initiative, I aim to:

1: Sponsor girls especially the ones with disabilities, less privileged, and dropouts for them to stay in school.

2: Distribute reusable pads to girls from low-income homes to fight menstrual poverty.

3: Educate girls in schools on menstrual hygiene and sanitation.

4: Sensitise men and boys against menstrual shaming.

5: Sensitize communities on the importance of girl child/ girl education.

6: Advocate for government policies to cut off taxes on menstrual products.

Outreach strategies are:

-Lectures/ Health talks for girls in school.

-Purity clubs in the community for girls aged 10 -15 years, where they are taught life skills.

-Advocacies to traditional institutions and the Government.

-Working in partnership with schools and traditional institutions.

-Working closely with community leaders.

My goals:

I aim to target 5000 people including girls, parents, school management, traditional leaders, and the Government. Additionally. I'm targeting 2000 girls to get reusable pads.

In 2021:

-I distributed reusable pads, and 250 have been reached.

-3 parents were sensitized and they took up prioritizing their daughters' education.

-I raised funds to sponsor 10 girls to stay in school. I now hope to raise enough funds to sponsor 200 girls to get them through secondary school.