We had heard stories of girls who could not afford sanitary products. We conducted our own research and discovered that girls from needy families will spend 30% of their time out of school because they don’t have access to sanitary products. They will instead use rags, newspaper, sit in the same spot for 5 days, or worst case scenario they will sell their bodies for 50 cents to buy one sanitary pad. When a family is earning $2 per day, sanitary products are a luxury. These are the families we work with.
Girls’ education is the most effective way to impact a nation economically and socially. The effects are immediate. For those who stay in secondary school (as opposed to those who don’t) the pregnancy rate drops from 40% to 8%. They are allowed more opportunities and the ability to make better life choices. In the long term, it adds 3 billion dollars to the national economy each year. A secondary education gives girls greater means to choose when to have children and therefore lower the birth rate. An extra year of a girl’s education reduces infant mortality by 5-10%.
Staying in school is good for a girl, good for the country, and good for the economy.
The Girl Project was established in 2015 and have programs in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. It is a 4 year program while they attend high school. We aim to prepare them with solutions to real world problems.
The Girl Project holds monthly meetings in which we utilise local female leaders to inspire the girls to achieve their scholastic and employment goals. We provide them with leadership development, career counselling, and mentoring skills. Each month they receive dignity pack that includes sanitary products and toilet paper. Throughout the year they receive items such as soap, underwear, bras, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Students are visited in their homes to monitor their progress and work through any ongoing issues. At these visits, families receive a much-needed food package.
Students receive capacity building as they get older, this includes computer classes and business training during the school holidays. Our team assist with career counselling, scholarships and guidance for pathways to higher learning.
