Project Update: Health Empowerment Initiative Selects Schools, Plans Upcoming Programs

The Health Empowerment Initiative advanced into the implementation stage of their project this week, completing the selection of schools and planning upcoming meetings and programs. The team writes: " We have completed our selection of schools that will be participating in the program -- St. Luke's Junior Secondary School, Bariga Junior Secondary School, and Jagunmolu Senior Girls Secondary School -- and have started meeting with the students. We have selected the girls in St. Luke’s secondary school who will be part of the training.

The Hea lth Empowerment Initiative wi l l work with three schoo ls over the course of their project

Our next meeting with the women of Ilaje community will be held next week. We will address the majority of the women population who live and trade in the community. We will invite an experienced malaria griot who will speak with the women. The environmental sanitation with the community is scheduled for the last Saturday in August. Members of the community are looking forward to participating in the program as they will be provided with proper gear to carry out the sanitation.

The date of the health empowerment workshop, the final event for our project, has been set for October 11, as part of The International Day of the Girl Child event that our partnering organizations, HACEY’S Health Initiative and the Beyond the Classroom Foundation, will host. The girls who have been trained during the project will be presented at this event, and it will also launch the ‘Girl Sexual Health Promotion’ group, which will be formed by the trained girls.

We have received financial support of $100 and material support of 100 branded pens from The Youth and Gender Network to assist us in achieving our goals. They have also given their full support of the program and will be available to render assistance when we need it.

The team p lans to train pre-teen gir ls, who wi l l then educate their peers on womens' hea lth issues

Severa l community-wide trainings events are in the works over the next severa l months