Project to promote girls’ education, health launched in Dar

Hyasinta Ntuyeko the Sauti Ya Binti Team Leader.

What you need to know:

Working in collaboration with the United States of America Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the project’s team aims to work with the government of Tanzania in ensuring a better future for girls in the country.

Dar es Salaam. A project dubbed “Sauti Ya Binti” on Tuesday September 18 launched an initiative to promote better healthcare and education for girls in Tanzania.

Working in collaboration with the United States of America Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the project’s team aims to work with the government of Tanzania in ensuring a better future for girls in the country.

Dr Inmi Patterson who officiated the event in Dar es Salaam said that most girls in Tanzania must be made aware of the changes they go through as they grow.

"A total of 82 percent of the Tanzanian girls don’t understand changes that their bodies go through during adolescent stages. They also don’t know how to handle menstruation challenges, it is therefore our role to educate them on this," said Dr Patterson

Speaking to The Citizen, Hyasinta Ntuyeko the Sauti Ya Binti Team Leader said the project aims to empower 400 less privileged adolescent girls’ in 4 public secondary schools in Dar-es-Salaam.

 

"The project will educate girls on puberty, good menstrual hygiene management and equip those schools with learning resources and sanitary pads, dispenser machines which will enable them to easily access reusable or disposable pads at subsidized cost," said Ntuyeko.

 

Adding to that, Ntuyeko said the Suti Ya Binti team consists of five Tanzanian business women, business models that provide affordable menstrual health options to Tanzanian women and girls, while addressing social and educational concerns.

The women include Ntuyeko, a social entrepreneur and the founder of Kasole Secrets Company Ltd, which develops bamboo made sanitary napkins which solve menstrual complications for women and girls.

Jennifer Shigoli, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Malkia Investments Company.

Others are Ms Lulu Ameir who manages the Be A Lady project that focuses on menstrual hygiene management for young girls through the use of sanitary pad dispensers in schools and Eva Mkane, a 28 year old youth leader and the campaign manager at MEMA Tanzania, an organization dealing with menstrual hygiene education in rural areas.