Our comic books come with free pads and are available in 15 widely spoken languages in Africa, including English, French, Arabic, Swahili, Zulu, Amharic, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Luganda, Xhosa, Somali, Shona, Sesotho and Oromo.
(3 pads per girl)
These organizations have supported and/or recognized our innovation.
THE ISSUE
One in 10 girls in Africa miss school during their periods to avoid the embarrassment of bleeding through their uniforms. Some girls use unhygienic items such as cloth rags, socks, leaves, or dry grass as a substitute for pads which can lead to infections. Many girls drop out of school altogether once they begin menstruating. Should our young girls miss 20% of school days in a given year or drop out due to a lack of information or lack of sanitary products?
The plain answer is NO!
There’s already a lot standing in their way; from pervasive poverty to persistent cultural attitudes, to forced early marriages and child labour.
Periods shouldn’t be one of them!
Many girls have been forced into period poverty (lack of access to menstrual hygiene products and education) due to financial barriers, stigma, and a lack of education about periods, and Covid-19 has worsened the problem.
OUR SOLUTION
We are a women-led non-profit organization. Our organization educates and mentors young African schoolgirls from underserved communities on periods, puberty, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) topics using comic books so that they can effectively manage their periods and build the self-confidence they need to take control of the future and succeed. All of our comic books come with 3 free reusable sanitary pads to help fight against period poverty in Africa, one pair of underwear, and a free unique period bracelet to help them track where they are in their cycle and be ready with a pad in their school bag.
PadHer is using comic books and the power of storytelling to change the way we educate our young girls about periods, puberty, and SRHR topics.
We are PadHer. We educate, mentor, and equip young African schoolgirls to manage their periods effectively. We break down barriers so that young African schoolgirls can take control of the future.
PADHER IN ACTION!
Our Core values are derived from the acronym P.E.R.I.O.D
P
Providing free sanitary pads to young schoolgirls and making them accessible.
E
Educating and mentoring young African schoolgirls on periods, puberty, and sexual and reproductive health and rights topics in the most innovative way possible.
R
Raising awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene for young schoolgirls.
I
Instilling the self-confidence that young schoolgirls need to succeed in the future.
O
Obliterating period poverty in Africa.
D
Dispelling long-held myths and misconceptions about periods.
ABOVE: Chika Nwaogu (Founder of PadHer) posing with the PadHer Schoolgirl Kit. The PadHer Schoolgirl Kit contains a free comic book to learn about periods, three free reusable pads (two reusable medium flow pads for daytime and one reusable heavy flow pad for nighttime), one beautiful small wet bag (for keeping their wet pads as they change to a new one in school), one pair of underwear, and a period bracelet (to help track their cycle and be ready with a pad in their school bag).
THE SDGs WE CURRENTLY ADDRESS!
NO POVERTY
Period poverty is poverty, period! The goal is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, and like every other form of poverty, the pandemic worsened period poverty. PadHer is on a mission to help eradicate period poverty in Africa!
REDUCED INEQUALITIES
The most vulnerable and poorest communities have been hit the hardest by COVID-19, which has deepened existing inequalities like period poverty. Many families already find it difficult to pay their rent, food, and utility bills due to the pandemic, let alone essential period products.
good health and well-being
We provide free reusable sanitary pads and underwear to young schoolgirls from underserved communities so that they do not use unsanitary materials such as old rags, clothes, socks, and so on, which could lead to reproductive tract infections (RTI) or other severe health conditions.
Quality Education
African young schoolgirls miss up to 5 days of school per month due to their periods. We keep our girls in school by educating and mentoring them on periods, puberty, and SRHR topics while making sanitary pads free and accessible. We are ensuring that they receive a quality education.
gender equality
We are ensuring that young African schoolgirls can manage their periods safely, hygienically, and with dignity. We are breaking down barriers and creating positive social norms around periods.
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION and PRODUCTION
We are decreasing waste production by providing young schoolgirls with reusable sanitary pads. To prevent infections caused by improper pad care, we also teach these girls how to use and care for their reusable sanitary pads.
More SDGs >>>
OUR APPROACH
At PadHer, we take these holistic approaches to support young African schoolgirls in underserved communities:
Innovative menstrual and SRHR
education via comic books & workshops
PadHer stands at the forefront of innovation when it comes to menstrual and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education. Through a unique blend of comic books and interactive workshops, PadHer revolutionizes the way young girls, especially in underserved communities, learn about these crucial topics.
Making sanitary pads free and accessible
Due to the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial challenges in underserved communities, PadHer gives free reusable sanitary pads (3 pads) to young schoolgirls as we educate and mentor them about periods. We are giving these girls two years of period protection! Our pads also come with one free pair of underwear.
Increasing Menstrual awareness via Period Bracelets
We are increasing menstrual awareness via period bracelets. The period bracelet helps stop period stigma as young schoolgirls wear them to show they are proud, while they also use it to track their cycle and be ready with a pad in their school bag.
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Lack of knowledge about periods can lead to harmful beliefs and discrimination. It can also prevent girls from participating in regular childhood activities. Young girls are denied the opportunity to learn about periods and develop healthy behaviors due to stigma, taboos, and myths. Girls Only was created to make it free, fun, easy, and comfortable to teach young school girls about periods, puberty, and SRHR topics.
Talking about periods, puberty, and SRHR topics should never be boring. To effectively teach these topics to young schoolgirls, we have to use mediums they find much more appealing — Comic Books!
Girls Only comic series tells the story of a 12-year old African schoolgirl Amanda, who just got her first period. The comic series takes us on young Amanda’s journey to better understanding periods, puberty, and SRHR topics. Girls Only” is the essential FREE guide on periods, puberty, and SRHR topics for every young African schoolgirl.
Most recently, Girls Only broadened its focus beyond menstruation and puberty to include sexual and reproductive health and rights topics, addressing critical issues such as teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, body rights, and sexual and gender-based violence.
With PadHer, young girls get free access to menstrual and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights education which is an essential component of a good education that helps prepare them to make informed decisions in a world where HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence continue to pose severe threats to their well-being.
AWESOME STORYTELLING
Girls Only has an innovative approach to storytelling and audience engagement. We are using real-life experiences to capture our audience, yet keeping it fun to learn about periods, puberty, and SRHR topics!
MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
The first issue of the “Girls Only” comic book series titled “First Period” is currently available in English, French, Arabic, Swahili, Zulu, Amharic, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Luganda, Xhosa, Somali, Shona, Sesotho and Oromo. There are ongoing plans to translate it into 15 more languages by mid-2024. We want to reach as many girls as possible, and we believe this is a right step in that direction.
Our comic books make learning about periods, puberty, and SRHR topics fun for schoolgirls and teaching comfortable for teachers and parents.
All copies of our free comic book come with 3 free reusable sanitary pads to help fight against period poverty in Africa, a beautiful small wet bag (for storing wet pads to be washed at home) and one pair of underwear.
All copies of our free comic book come with a free unique period bracelet to help young schoolgirls track where they are in their cycle.
"...PadHer recognise that girls’ issues, for example menstruation, are something that are not just for girls to learn about, but for all kids to learn about..."
— HundrED
Girls Only contain medically accurate contents, and is thoroughly and carefully researched. Girls Only has been reviewed and vetted by medical experts.
“
Some schoolgirls have sex to earn money to buy sanitary pads, exposing them to sexual and reproductive health risks like HIV infections and other forms of STIs, as well as unwanted pregnancies. For example, 60% of Kenyan girls do not have access to sanitary pads, and at least 10% of transactional sex is for menstrual products — showing a clear connection between a lack of menstrual products, reproductive health education, and high-risk sexual activity. By educating and mentoring young schoolgirls about periods and providing them with free reusable sanitary pads, we will not only be able to keep them in school but reduce the need for transactional sex for pads.
There are several myths regarding periods that are passed down to young girls. This booklet aims to enlighten young girls and give them accurate answers to some of the period-related questions they may have, and debunk period myths while doing so.
Chicken tries but fails to fly. Chicken is unhappy with being unable to fly like other birds but soon discovers its ability to do other things — like run very fast and starts to love being a Chicken again!
Your daughter will love this brightly colored children's book that teaches self-esteem in a fun and exciting way! This colorful picture book will teach her to appreciate herself and all that makes her unique! A fantastic gift for any occasion to help instill positive self-esteem values in that wonderful child.
The Genius project is a PadHer initiative that publishes books to help young girls develop the self-confidence they need to take control of their future and succeed.
One of the books published as part of this initiative is Chicken, the Bird that Couldn’t Fly.
PadHer constantly visits schools in underserved communities across Africa, where we distribute our comic books and engage (educating and mentoring) young girls aged 10 to 15 in a one-hour workshop covering key period topics. 10 to 15 is around the time they first notice their period (Grades 6-8).
When we visit a school, we give each girl a free comic book on periods, three free reusable sanitary pads, a beautiful small wet bag for storing wet pads to be washed at home, one pair of underwear, and a free period bracelet to keep track of their cycle.
Every period workshop concludes with a certificate of participation handed to each student who participated. Even though our workshop's primary targets are young schoolgirls in underserved communities, we sometimes include boys too.
QUICK FACT: Did you know that all copies of the "Girls Only" comic book come with 3 free PadHer Reusables™ to help fight against Period Poverty in Africa?
PadHer Reusables™ are high-quality reusable cloth sanitary pads.
The 3 pads are made up of 2 reusable medium flow pads (for daytime) and 1 reusable heavy flow pad (for nighttime).
We also provide young schoolgirls with a beautiful small wet bag for keeping their wet pads as they change to a new one in school and one pair of underwear.
Our comic books also come with a free unique period bracelet.
Because every schoolgirl has a different menstrual cycle length, each girl needs to create a period bracelet unique to them. Some girls have period cycles as short as 21, while some have period cycles as long as 40; whatever their menstrual cycle length is, the Period Bracelet is for them. Inside the period bracelet kit, every schoolgirl is provided with a fishing line (to string together their beads), 10 red beads, and 40 white/black beads.
The RED beads are for days they are on their period, and the white/black ones are for days they are off their period.
That is 50 beads altogether! They do not need all 50 beads to make a period bracelet, but we need them to have as many as they can, just in case. We have given them so many beads to be able to construct a period bracelet no matter their period cycle length.
Based on their period pattern, they can build a unique period bracelet in 3 easy steps. The period bracelet is the abacus for periods. It is an easy way for young schoolgirls to track their menstrual cycle to help them know when to expect their period. Our comic books teach how to make and use this unique bracelet.
It is helpful for schoolgirls to begin tracking their menstrual cycle so that they can begin to accurately predict when they will have a period and be ready with a pad in their school bag.
Why now?
COVID-19 RESPONSE
Because of the pandemic, underserved communities are experiencing high levels of period poverty. As a result, many families have been severely impacted and are struggling to afford rent, food, and utility bills, let alone essential period products.
Families will continue to suffer as long as menstrual products aren’t considered a necessity. Not everyone who needs menstrual products has access to them.
Just about every expense can be a source of stress when finances are tight for a family. Covid-19 is unlike other disasters in that it is not limited to a single location, and the demand for period products is global. The pandemic’s financial impact on families has made getting period materials even more difficult, increasing the risk of schoolgirls missing school.
According to one survey, 84% of students have missed school during their period owing to a lack of menstruation supplies. Access to menstrual products is a basic human need, and it is unacceptable to continue to overlook period poverty. The lack of period supplies and education, combined with stigma, all have severe consequences for the well-being of young girls globally.
PadHer was created to bridge this gap. We help provide menstrual education and supplies to young African schoolgirls from underserved communities. We are creating a world-leading impact. Create it with us, and donate today!
PERIODS DON’T STOP FOR PANDEMICS
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OUR PARTNERS
Our work is supported by our global and local partners.
BECOME A PADHER PARTNER
PadHer is committed to assisting African girls in staying in school.
Our work is made possible by forward-thinking businesses and organizations of all sizes that share our mission and values.
For Partnership, contact: ahamba@padher.org
