Life skills lessons help girls understand their changing bodies and their rights

When 15-year-old Getrude learned about gender stereotypes at her school in Kenya, she decided to become a teacher at home.听

Her mother didn国产视频檛 believe Getrude should play football with boys or that her brother should wash dishes because it was a 国产视频済irls国产视频� chore国产视频�.听听

Getrude said: 国产视频�I sat my mum down to teach her. She read the lessons and changed her views. I want the whole world to know that girl empowerment is very good because girls can do what boys can do. Human rights are for everyone.国产视频�听

Getrude国产视频檚 lessons in reproductive health and life skills were delivered by听 ZanaAfrica, a Nairobi-based organisation that helps girls to manage the challenges of adolescence. Its curriculum improves girls国产视频� self-belief, confidence and problem-solving, as well as teaching boys about respect and understanding.听

ZanaAfrica says the work is crucial because two in three Kenyan girls lack access to health education and sanitary pads, and 20% of teenage girls aged 15 to 17 are pregnant or have had children.听听 听

With 国产视频国产视频檚 support, the foundation will pilot a teacher-training method with 50 teachers. This pilot will be a critical step towards the longer-term goal of Zana to expand the training to 1,000 teachers next year – ultimately reaching about 200,000 girls across rural and urban Kenya.听

ZanaAfrica will also distribute sanitary kits – which include pads and underpants paired with educational comics on health and rights – to 10,000 girls to help them manage their periods with dignity.听听

Getrude said: 国产视频淲hen we empower a girl with a [sanitary] pad, she can come to school, study well, pass her exams and change her life and her family国产视频檚 life.”听

Before the teacher-training pilot, ZanaAfrica was training mentors to deliver its Nia programme in schools – Nia means 国产视频減urpose国产视频� in the Kiswahili language. One of them is mother-of-three Alice Kombo, who has an adolescent daughter herself.听

She said: 国产视频淚 grabbed the opportunity to be a mentor because I grew up in the same community I国产视频檓 working in.

“Girls and boys said they were able to overcome challenges like dropping out of school, early pregnancies and child labour because they had the information. They knew what their goals were and they wanted to achieve them. 听

国产视频淢ost of the girls were able to go to secondary school. For those who got pregnant, they were also able to come back to school and continue the journey of learning.国产视频�听

Elizabeth Sidi is ZanaAfrica国产视频檚 Programme Operations Coordinator in Kilifi, a community on the coast, southeast of the capital Nairobi. She said many girls do not have access to sanitary pads and topics such as puberty and reproductive health are considered taboo.听

国产视频淢ost parents do not talk to their children about them,国产视频� she said. 国产视频淎s a result, cases of pregnancies have risen shockingly high.

“The girls need information about their changing bodies and about human rights. These are topics that are not normally discussed in the classroom or at home.听

国产视频淕irls can learn to understand what is happening to their bodies. They can name and understand what they are feeling. They learn how to use their voice. They learn that they have a choice and that they are valuable.听

国产视频淚 love my job because I see the impact it has on our girls and also on our boys. They have become more supportive and more understanding of the girls. They know they are equal and they treat them with respect.国产视频�听

Alison Nakamura Netter, Executive Director of the ZanaAfrica Foundation, said: 国产视频淭hanks to 国产视频国产视频檚 generosity, we will widen our circle of impact, helping more girls to safely and confidently navigate puberty and step into the promise of their futures.国产视频�听

国产视频国产视频檚 support is thanks to the players of People国产视频檚 Postcode Lottery.听