Empowered to Share: Community Outreach from the Empowered Girls and Enlightened Boys Clubs
By Anna Mercer
When something changes our lives, we often want to share that information and make life better for other people. This is exactly what happened when Empowered Girls and Enlightened Boys club members started educating their peers on menstrual health, hygiene, and vision writing as a part of new community outreach efforts.
Earlier this year, students from the EG and EB clubs were invited to participate in the Union Sports Secondary Schools Competition (UMISSETA). This national event brings students from all over Tanzania together to compete in sports. During this competition, a small group of EG EB members from Mababu Primary were able to share information with other students about hygiene and menstrual health, two topics they learn about during weekly club meetings. After the peer-to-peer education session, menstrual hygiene products were distributed to around 120 girls. These products, and the education they received from club members, allowed the girls to confidently participate in the sports competition, and will allow them to stay in school without monthly interruptions.
Emanuel Chikoti, executive director of Empowered Girls Africa, said the outreach was “a conversation between students of the same age, so it was fun. It was girls and boys sharing the knowledge they have about menstrual health and hygiene, making sure to talk about the facts and dispel the myths. Volunteer teachers helped guide students as they talked about menstrual health and hygiene topics.”
This outreach received formal recognition from the Tanzanian government for its contribution to education. The Kyela District Education Officer for Secondary Schools expressed gratitude to the EG EB clubs, writing “Thank you for helping us serve our students and collaborating with the government to create a friendly environment for girls during the UMISSETA competitions. Do not hesitate to continue working with us when we call upon you next time.”
The success at the student sessions at UMISSETA helped build confidence in plans for a larger outreach effort. This fall, clubs at each school in the EG EB program— Mababu, Mwaya, and Matema Beach—selected a small team of 4-5 students to serve as peer educators. These groups each traveled to a neighboring school that does not have an EG or EB club, specifically, Lake Nyasa Secondary, Kisyosyo Primary, and Nkuyu Secondary, reaching over 1,000 students with peer-taught lessons covering menstrual health and hygiene. Just like the first outreach at UMISSETA, students were given soap and menstrual hygiene supplies.
EG EB members also taught their peers about visioning, an integral part of the EG EB curriculum. Visioning is the process of writing a description of yourself in your ideal future. Once you’ve established your vision, you can work towards it confidently. Sharing is an important part of the visioning process, and the EG EB outreach members were brave enough to share their visions with their peers. Their bravery undoubtedly inspired their peers to develop their own visions of greatness.
When you truly know something, you can teach it. EG EB members have shown that they know the importance of menstrual health, hygiene, and visioning. We couldn’t be more proud of their dedication to sharing what they know. They are furthering the goal of the EG EB clubs and helping students across Tanzania take care of themselves, succeed in school, and achieve their individual visions of greatness.