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Jewels of Africa Foundations Begins Nationwide Monthly Menstrual Health & Wellness Outreach In Nigeria

Dec 2, 2023 | News, Press Release

Daily Independent | Titilope Joseph

Jewels of Africa Foundations Inc, a San Francisco, California based non-profit organization on November 20 kicked off a nationwide Sanitary Health & Wellness Outreach across the 36 States of Nigeria.

According to Lara Gureje-Oderinde, President & Founder of Jewels of Africa Foundations Inc (JOA), the new initiative being embarked on is to support young girls in underserved regions of the country where menstrual health and period poverty is an endemic often overlooked.

“With this initiative, JOA will be focusing on one state each month to supply free sanitary pads to 4,000 girls each month.

She noted that 500 million girls and women lack access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities globally.

“According to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) survey, due to lack of access to sanitary products, 37% of menstruators in Nigeria do not use sanitary pads.

Those who did not have access to menstrual products rely heavily on pieces of blanket, toilet papers and old rags.

She stated further that Period Poverty is lack of access to information about menstruation, life changes, and hygiene practices.

Others include lack of the ability for self-care during menstruation as well as lack of the ability to receive a diagnosis for menstrual cycle disorders and access to healthcare and supportive environment in which to make informed decisions about menstruation.

“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 (Teachers and Students).

“Our organization aims to reach and engage underprivileged African youths (aka ‘Jewels’) 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.

“This is our tenth year of operations in Nigeria, operating in seven states – 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.”