Project Baala envisions a world in which education is not abandoned and sanitation is not an obstacle, giving every girl the power to empower herself.
What do we do?
Periods are a natural process that every girl faces every month; it can be sudden, painful and inconvenient…but easily solved with a sanitary pad and some chocolate. At least, for us. Girls in Africa, Pakistan and other rural parts of the world are not so fortunate. With no access to sanitary pads and a lack of menstrual health education they are left vulnerable; not only to the diseases that come with a lack of hygiene but also to the danger of losing out on the education that every child deserves.Statistics claim that 79% of girls in Pakistan are unable to hygienically manage their period due to a lack of knowledge and the taboo surrounding menstruation in their society. In Africa, 1 in 10 girls misses out on the opportunity to go to school during their period.Project Baala wants to change this; we want to protect and empower the girl child because we believe that education is non- negotiable and sanitation is a necessity. As an initiative under Enactus Warwick, we strive to help girls break free from the restrictions that society and a lack of access to sanitation
impose on them so that they too, can embrace the education that every child deserves.
Project Baala not only sources sanitary pads that are reusable for up to two years and distributes them in the rural villages of Pakistan and Africa but also creates a life-long impact on their futures by administering educational workshops with the help of our volunteers who undergo extensive training programmes in sanitary health, to teach them about menstruation and the importance of sanitation. These workshops will tackle the taboo of menstruation in society and help them to counteract several medical and psychological issues such as depression, isolation, anxiety, and stress which are often caused by the inhibited education that they receive that stunt the overall development of these girls.
Following the success of our initiative in India, we have decided to turn our focus to Ghana and Pakistan.
Impact
Project Baala is a continuation of the Warwick alumni run organisation in India which has already helped to empower 25,000 girls in India.
Our team hopes to use this year to raise these numbers in Pakistan and Africa by fundraising throughout the year to reach a larger audience and create a bigger platform for change.
We have already carried out our pilot operation in summer 2018 in South Africa, Tanzania and Ghana through our initial partnership with Warwick in Africa. The operation impacted 600 girls as a result, 200 in Ghana specifically.
We hope to increase this number substantially: aiming to reach a platform of 1,500 in Ghana alone. In parallel,
we will also be starting pilot operations in Pakistan.
We are building a partnership with Sarah Boateng, who is the founder of Menstruation and Education. She and her team will first pilot in Ghana. Our expected result from this partnership is to impact 50 girls.
In Pakistan, we are building connections with local schools, leading local universities, government organisations and NGOs to form a sustainable network of workshop providers and pad distributors.
Through our partnership with Warwick in Africa, we aim to impact the lives of 800 girls scattered over four schools in East Ghana.
Through the Ministry of Education and Sanitation in Ghana, we are hoping to target another 500 girls.
How Can You Help?
Project Baala has set up a donation page to help give the gift of education to girls in Pakistan and Ghana and so you can help the advancement of these girls by donating to Project Baala. Your money will make a first-hand impact and provide these girls with sustainable hygiene products and give them the opportunity to stay in school and reach their full potential.
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Project Baala Enactus
Inass Ettabouti
Project Manager
inass.ettabouti@warwick.ac.uk
Shayan Ali
Project Manager
mohammad.ali@warwick.ac.uk
