For 14-year-old Ilhan Jimcaale Abdi, a pupil at Dhobley Major College, life has taken a dramatic flip for the higher.
Since receiving hygiene kits, Ilhan has skilled a profound transformation that has boosted her confidence and enabled her to focus on her schooling.
“Earlier than the ATMIS Feminine Engagement Workforce launched us to this system, we stayed at dwelling. We had a unfavorable notion of schooling however now this has modified, and we attend faculty often. We’re grateful to ATMIS for enabling us to remain in class by way of this program,” Ilhan says.
“I can now concentrate on my research and dream about my future,” she provides with a large smile on her face.
Ilhan is amongst 270 ladies at Dhobley Major College who’ve benefitted from a three-year mentorship program led by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Feminine Engagement Workforce (FET) and the Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation.
The mentorship classes concentrate on private hygiene and self-care. Every participant learns tips on how to handle her menstrual cycle and receives a hygiene equipment containing important merchandise resembling sanitary pads, cleaning soap, and different supplies needed for sustaining correct hygiene.
“By our steady mentorship and academic packages, we aren’t simply offering ladies with hygiene kits however giving them the information and encouragement to confidently care for his or her well being and in addition make them conscious that they will obtain something they need via schooling,” says Capt. Valarie Shikuku, the ATMIS Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Gender Officer.
For a lot of ladies in Dhobley, menstruation has traditionally hindered their schooling, with many lacking faculty throughout their intervals because of a scarcity of assets, information, and societal stigma. Nevertheless, the collaboration between the ATMIS FET and Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation is addressing these challenges.
“ATMIS has helped us so much with our schooling, offering studying supplies and private hygiene kits and for all this, we’re grateful,” says Ikhlaas Ibrahim Arte, a pupil and beneficiary.
Underneath this system, the ATMIS KDF Feminine Engagement Workforce and the Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation have been elevating consciousness and offering sensible help to women and girls in the area people. The initiative has empowered girls and ladies in Dhobley, making certain that ladies can attend faculty with out the concern of embarrassment associated to menstruation.
“Final 12 months, many ladies returned to highschool with elevated confidence, and this 12 months, much more ladies are becoming a member of our packages, motivated by the information that they gained’t miss class due to menstruation,” says Fatima Abdi, chairperson of the Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation.
“By offering entry to menstrual hygiene merchandise and fostering a supportive atmosphere, we’ve eliminated a significant barrier to their schooling,” she provides, referring to the low enrollment charges for women in Somalia’s Federal Member States (FMS) because of social, financial and cultural causes.
As a part of this system, the ATMIS KDF Feminine Engagement Workforce and the Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation not too long ago held a mentorship session at Dhobley Major College to commemorate World Youngsters’s Day. They engaged the women on private hygiene, and self-care – vital subjects that immediately affect their faculty attendance and educational success.
The mentors additionally donated balls, soccer kits and books to boys on the faculty to create consciousness about ladies’ proper to schooling and destigmatize menstruation.
“We prolong our heartfelt appreciation to the ATMIS Feminine Engagement Workforce for his or her exceptional efforts in elevating consciousness amongst our feminine college students. The precious info and steerage they supply has significantly empowered our college students, equipping them with the information to take care of themselves higher,” stated Sadia Madobe, a instructor at Dhobley Major College.
By the mentorship program, the ATMIS KDF Feminine Engagement Workforce and the Dhobley Ladies’s Affiliation intention to extend enrolment of ladies and decrease faculty dropouts.
The aim is to extend ladies’ transition to increased schooling, boosting the variety of girls professionals and fostering long-term financial empowerment. This can create a technology of women and girls who’re geared up to steer, thrive, and contribute to prosperity of their communities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
