The Pad a Girl Project
“Aunty, can you please hug me? ” asked Philomena a 14-year-old student at Junior Secondary School Apo, Abuja.
Instinctively, I replied with “Sure!” and squeezed her in as tight as I could without suffocating her.
Pad a girl project is powered by Transforming and Advancing People (TAAP), an NGO that focuses on providing basic amenities to underprivileged people. Interestingly, this is my first volunteer experience as a young adult and it was surreal.
Back then in secondary school, my sister and I received sanitary pads from goodwill individuals. And just last week, I was part of a team that gave out pads too. It’s so amazing!
The goal of the Pad a Girl Project is to make pads accessible to young girls so that they can have a comfortable menstrual experience, maintain menstrual hygiene and not panic about pads.
Philomena was one of the girls we met and the situation got worse with each girl we had a conversation with.
Some had to wash baby pampers soiled with urine and use them as pads.
Some of them use cotton wool for their menses.
Some sleep with men in order to get money to buy pads.
Some had infections and you could tell there was an untold story they were terrified to share. As I said, the situation worsened with each girl we spoke with. But this experience affected me profoundly.
I became extra grateful for what I have now and for my parents because I saw that whatever life problems I have at the moment are nothing compared to what these little girls are experiencing.
Some have parents who don’t care because they have to go out and hustle for food. When they get back, they are too tired to concern themselves with their kids’ needs.
Some of them are orphans and depend on uncles or aunties to care for them. As expected, most of these relatives do not give a hoot about these girls but rather choose to use them as maids.
But I am grateful for iTAAP, we hope to make a difference in the lives of these girls no matter how small.
We are looking for volunteers, international and local to help with resources, funds, etc for these girls. If this is you, please reach out to me via my email oparaanitachinwendu@gmail.com
I am also glad that I am a part of this amazing community, I feel this is what I have been called to do; to empower young girls.
One day, I hope we will be able to reach the nook and crannies of Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa.
P.S: I met Adanne Royalty at the volunteer event and her passion for this work inspires me. It is a small world, isn’t it? From medium to real life.
