By Tessa Davis | Program Director
Did you know that 1 out of 10 African girls skip or drop out of school due to a lack of menstrual products and poor access to proper sanitation (UNICEF)? The lack of available sanitary products in developing countries is a major barrier to education for school-aged girls. The inability to effectively manage menstruation contributes to absences of up to 4-5 school days each month, equating to as much as 20% of the academic year intentionally skipped, simply due to menstruation. Eventually many of these girls drop out of school entirely, increasing the likelihood of teen pregnancy, health complications, and early marriage, further limiting their future career and economic opportunities.
AFRIpads, an organization that creates re-usable menstrual pads, is committed to helping women and girls break the barriers that menstruation creates in their lives and to helping them rise to their full potential.
Just Like My Child Foundation partners with AFRIpads to provide Girl Power Project participants and their school teachers with this essential resource. Girls who complete advanced Girl Power Project trainings recieve a pack of much needed supplies that includes, soap, underwear, and AFRIpads -- tools that help girls maintain good menstrual hygiene. Your contributions help Just Like My Child Foundation to supply these critical assets to girls participating in The Girl Power Project. AFRIpads Menstrual Kits are enabling girls to stay in school and participate in daily life with the confidence and dignity they deserve. Just Like My Child Foundation's trainings help girls to further understand their body changes and manage them effectively.
In July of 2017 the Just Like My Child's team in Uganda received a donation of 30 Menstrual Kits from AFRIpads, so they could try them out for themselves and better educate girls about using them.
Just Like My Child Foundation has so much more in store for The Girl Power Project this year. Stay tuned for updates on Camp Girl Power, happening this fall!
On behalf of the million girls we hope to eventually reach through this project, we wish to thank you for your ongoing support! We hope you will continue to follow our exciting progress! Please click on all of the links we have provide and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share not only our story and videos with others who may wish to get involved, but also your story! We would love to hear about why you are moved to support The Girl Power Project! Share your reasons here and we will not only share them with Girl Power Project participants, but also feature our favorite in our next GlobalGiving report!
We extend our utmost gratitude to Population Council, whose research, toolkits and technical support have been invaluable and to AFRIpads for their partnership in providing essential services to the Girl Power Project.
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