Period Poverty In West Africa

Africa Children’s Foundation (ACF) is a 501c (3) non-profit organization established on the principle of offering aid and resources to children and youth in African countries. As a

foundation, we aspire to provide a cultural link throughout the African diaspora and promote awareness of ongoing African issues while providing aid to the motherland to the fullest potential. Our mission is to use our platform and voices to build a better life for children in West African countries. We aspire to create a comfortable environment and opportunities to help children in low socioeconomic communities live meaningful lives. With our centers and programs, we hope to give children access to housing, education, and adequate healthcare.

The cycle is an initiative created by ACF to bring awareness to women’s health in

impoverished West African countries. The aim of the project is to give young girls access to menstrual hygiene products such as pads, feminine wipes, and wash. The project is a

menstrual program to bring awareness to the disparities that exist in women’s health and

how they affect adolescent girls in West Africa. With this project, we hope to make the

female cycle as comfortable as possible. We hope to give young girls the tools and

resources they need to take control of their health and feminity.

In many parts of West Africa period poverty continues to be a burden and an

overwhelming concept. Young girls, especially, do not have access to menstrual and

hygiene products. Access to clinical care and products is a social determinant of health

that impacts women and adolescent girls in poor resource countries around Africa. Many

girls miss school or sometimes even drop out because of the lack of sanitary products. As a nonprofit organization, we pride ourselves on gender equity and empowerment. The

cycle targets three of our focus areas, education, gender equity, and youth empowerment. With this project we hope to bring awareness to period poverty through education, we

will empower women and girls to not feel shame when they’re on their period, but instead allow them to know that it is not shameful or a taboo to express pain and be themselves

during their cycle. The cycle will target poor resource communities in Senegal and

Gambia.

Our goal is to supply 10,000 pads to a poor resource community in Senegal and Gambia,

Bridge the gap in gender equity by giving women the resources and tools needed to be

proactive about their health.