By Bolaji Ajayi | Writer
Many are the worries of a girl; a case study of a typical Nigerian girl child born in a low-class setting. These challenges have dual phases, including very slim remote access to quality education. In addition, child labour, early marriage and rape, lack of information on health-related issues and, of course, period poverty are not ruled out as one of the significant challenges the girl child faces.
According to the Royal College of Nursing in their report on Menstrual Hygiene, "Period poverty is the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints. Period poverty is caused by a wide range of life events that negatively impact a girl or woman's ability to access hygienic products to manage a most intimate and regular occurrence.
Period poverty is exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, as sanitary products' prices soar. In addition, according to ActionAid, many girls skip school if they don't have access to sanitary products during their period, which increases their risk of child marriage and early pregnancy. In its 2014 report, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Says; that 1 out of every ten menstruating children misses school due to a lack of access to menstrual products and resources.
Ariyike, one of the teenage girls living in one of the suburbs of Ogba in Lagos, shares her experience
"{The girl}On days I have my period, I usually miss school because my mom cannot afford to buy me sanitary pads, and I don't want to risk having blood stains on my clothes and being laughed at. And on days I
had tests or examinations, my mother would help me cut out pieces from old wrappers, folding them neatly like sanitary towels. Those pieces of clothes didn't make me feel at ease at all; I would sit quietly in the classroom keeping to myself and being so careful, so I wouldn't get stained or have the rags fall off my pant.
OUR INTERVENTIONS AND APPROACH
At The Girl Child Art Foundation, we are committed to ensuring that these girls get the support they need; we equip them with inner strength through art to boost their confidence. In addition, we educate them on sexual behaviours, menstrual hygiene, and self-esteem. As a result, about 30-40 girls access our safe space daily while providing educational services and ensuring they get kits for their menstrual periods.
OUR IMPACT
According to Desmond Tutu, "If we are going to see real development in the world, then our best investment is WOMEN!" We have been keenly devoted to this cause, and the turn-up of girls from different areas of Lagos to our studio is amazing
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
