By Chris Onuoha | The Vanguard
Jewels of Africa Foundations (JOA) Inc, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California, USA has kicked off a nationwide Sanitary Health & Wellness Outreach across the 36 States of Nigeria.
According to an official statement from the foundation, over 4000 girls across the country will benefit from this initiative as JOA will be focusing on one State each month to supply free sanitary pads to the underprivileged girls.
Lara Gureje-Oderinde, President and founder, Jewels of Africa Foundations Inc, in the statement, noted that the new initiative introduced by the foundation to the country will support young and vulnerable girls in underserved regions across Nigeria.
“We are embarking on this project to support our young girls in underserved regions of the country where menstrual health and period poverty is an endemic and often overlooked,” she said.
Gureje-Oderinde revealed that globally, about 500 million girls and women lack access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities.
She also disclosed that about 37 percent of menstruators in Nigeria do not use sanitary pads due to lack of access to sanitary products, according by the report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) survey. She also mentioned that those who do not have access to menstrual products rely heavily on pieces of blanket, toilet papers and old rags.
Explaining further, she mentioned that lack of access to basic information about menstruation, life changes and hygiene practice are the caused of period poverty.
“Lack of the ability for self-care during menstruation, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services and lack of the ability to receive a diagnosis for menstrual cycle disorders and access to healthcare are some of the challenges.”
Gureje-Oderinde also noted that lack of a positive, supportive environment in which to make informed decisions about menstruation and the ability to participate in all aspects of life, such as going to school contributes to the challenges of period poverty.
“Our focus is on functional education for underprivileged youths ‘middle & high school students’ in West Africa with scholarships, educational enrichment programs and teaching aids for public schools including teachers and students.
“Our organization aims to reach and engage underprivileged African youths through functional education; equip them with skills, opportunities, tools, resources, and abilities that will transform their lives and allow them to reach their full potential, thus helping to prime and position them to be future leaders and agents of change in a rapidly changing world,” she said.
She disclosed that in this project being the foundations tenth year in Nigeria, had been operating in seven States comprising Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Delta State.
“With this new initiative, we’re expanding our initiatives to the 36 states of the country, making sure no child is left behind in our crusade to empower and equip the future generation to thrive and compete with their peers around the world. We currently operate in both Nigeria & Ghana,” she added.
