Description:
My role at The Smile Outreach (TSO) is to lead and innovate in advocating for sexual human rights and menstrual justice at the grassroots level throughout Africa. We strive to dismantle stigmas and provide comprehensive support. Our main focus is to mitigate the vulnerabilities of young individuals, and combat cross-generational sexual relationships and sexual grooming by providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary for informed decision-making regarding their sexual health.
The Good Cycle Initiative takes a holistic and transformative approach to menstrual inequality through WASH/PAD stations in strategic regions of the country.
We will be providing essential menstrual and sanitation products, fostering open discussions in schools, IDPS and Prisons, and normalizing menstruation, thereby challenging and dismantling the myths and stigmas surrounding menstruation, with the ultimate aim of empowering women and girls through uninterrupted education and promoting a culture of openness and support around menstrual health.
The Outreach Challenge, in collaboration with Advocates for Youth and AMAZE, has successfully reached over 5000 adolescents, providing crucial resources and educational content through animations and comics.
The ADOBLE Initiative, short for Adolescent Bible, is another key project under my leadership. This initiative specifically targets the crisis of adolescent health in Nigeria, focusing on issues such as cross-generational sexual abuse, adolescent pregnancies, and HIV infections. By employing a unique storytelling approach, we intend to transform selected stories into animations and comics, making them accessible through our YouTube channel and school libraries. This approach not only raises awareness but also challenges societal norms, empowering communities with crucial information.
Moreover, the DIGI-TEENS club has established safe spaces in schools, offering support and educational materials on sexual health, and our upcoming Basic 100 Empowerment Scholarships Program will provide crucial educational support to school dropouts. Our Orphanage Feeding Support Program has set out to nourish and empower 1000 orphans, integrating sensitization sessions to equip them with life skills.
Our next steps include expanding the reach of The Outreach Challenge by printing additional educational comics for distribution in both rural and urban communities, while the ADOBLE Initiative continues to invite adolescent participation from across Africa, broadening the scope and impact of our narrative-driven approach to health education.
Outcome:
At the helm of these initiatives, I have played a critical role in orchestrating these multifaceted programs.
These initiatives have resulted in significant strides in youth empowerment and health education in Nigeria. By directly engaging thousands of adolescents and providing them with essential tools for informed decision-making, we are reshaping the narrative surrounding youth vulnerability. Our efforts are not only creating immediate positive changes but also laying the groundwork for a more informed and resilient generation by 2030. The Smile Outreach’s commitment to these goals is unwavering, as we continue to innovate and expand our reach, solidifying our position as a pivotal force in grassroots change and adolescent empowerment.
