Problem Statement

Project SafeSpaceForHer aims to address the challenges faced by menstruating school girls in Nigeria regarding menstrual hygiene management and limited access to resources and support systems. These challenges, coupled with the risk of early child marriage in Northern Nigeria, hinder the empowerment and potential of girls in Africa. To overcome these issues, tailored education and comprehensive sexual education are crucial in providing the necessary knowledge and skills.

Target Group

Teenage girls aged 12 to 18 attending secondary schools, with a focus on public/government schools, low-income households, and underserved communities.

Project Solution

The proposed solution, encapsulated by the acronym SAFE SPACE, is a comprehensive approach that empowers and trains teenage girls in key areas critical to their well-being and development. The project involves setting up Pad Banks for Girls to ensure access to menstrual hygiene products, challenging period taboos through open discussions, equipping girls with sexual education and puberty knowledge, providing workshops and assessments for tailored education and skill-building, supporting girls on their periods with assistance and resources, providing free pads to address financial barriers, assigning Safe Space Champions as ambassadors within schools, creating access to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities, and ensuring policy action and accountability by advocating for necessary changes and reforms.

The pilot project implementation targeted 300 teenage girls from three schools in Ilorin metropolis. Project Activities In the first phase, we conducted educational training workshops and distributed sanitary materials to address immediate needs. Surveys were conducted after the workshops to identify knowledge gaps and inform the project's policy position and proposal to the government and policymakers.

The next phase will involve a more detailed training session for 30 selected girls who act as ambassadors for their schools. This tailored training will address specific needs identified in the initial survey, providing additional education in targeted areas. These ambassadors will be responsible for establishing SafeSpace clubs within their schools, equipped with the necessary tools and resources to engage other students and create a supportive and inclusive environment. In addition to the detailed training for the selected ambassadors, we will craft a policy position based on survey analysis. This position will outline recommendations and propose solutions to address the identified gaps and challenges. It will serve as a strategic document to engage policymakers and public officials, advocating for necessary changes and reforms in areas such as teenage sexual and reproductive rights, menstrual hygiene, education, and leadership development. By leveraging survey findings and formulating a clear policy position, the project aims to influence decision-makers and drive systemic change benefiting girls across the region.

Short-term goals: empowering teenage girls; improving menstrual hygiene management; creating awareness and reducing misconceptions; and establishing SafeSpace clubs.

Long-term goals: policy change and advocacy; sustainable impact; improved educational opportunities; and enhanced future prospects for the participating girls. Output metrics: number of teenage girls trained, the number of sanitary materials distributed, and the number of SafeSpace clubs established. Impact metrics: improvement in knowledge and awareness; enhanced menstrual hygiene management; policy influence and changes; sustainable engagement of ambassadors; and improved educational outcomes. Project Collaborators Kwara State Ministry of Education, KwaraNGO, WHO, UNICEF, and LaCourt Capital Limited (Private Business).