Rebecca Ejifoma
To break the financial barrier to girl-child education in Nigeria, Always, a feminine care brand from Procter & Gamble Nigeria, has rewarded 100 Nigerian students with N100,000 each for emerging winners of its Always #MyFutureStartsToday Essay Competition in Lagos.
The initiative started in August 2016 with a viral video that showed the story of some girls and the challenges they faced. Girls between the ages 11 and 16 were invited to send in their essays about their dream careers and the challenges they face as girls. Of the over 2,000 entries received, 100 winners emerged.
Speaking on the initiative, the Brand Marketing Director, Procter & Gamble Nigeria, Tolu Adedeji, said: “When the video was launched, we were overwhelmed with the response and support we received from everyone. It affirmed that starting up a conversation like the Always #MyFutureStartsToday could help build a girl’s confidence.”
Following the competition, she said there would be a mentorship programme in partnership with the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), which will be organized for schools in Lagos and Abuja. She said girls in the schools would have the opportunity of being mentored, enlightened and inspired to achieve their potential.
“There are so many challenges facing the girl child in Nigeria, as such, it is evident that girl education and mentorship will not only benefit the girls, it will also impact the whole society. The education of girls is important for us. In fact, Always advocates the empowerment of girls and women. In our bid to continue to contribute to Nigeria and Nigerian girls and women, we have launched this platform to reach more girls and help them to achieve their potential.”
The Senior Brand Manager, P&G, Mokutima Ajileye, said: “The purpose for us is beyond just selling, rather it is to empower and advocate for girls and women. We have girls that tap into our category from age 11 and we do this globally in different ways depending on the market.”
Ajileye explained that the brand wants to focus on education because once a girl-child is educated, other things would follow. “We know the struggles most girls face before being educated, like cultural barriers, which applies to the boys anyways. Hence, we decided to tackle financial barriers through essay contest among female students in secondary schools across the country for it to be based on merit.”
Meanwhile, the founder of Bella Naija, Uche Pedro, who stressed the need for girls to reach their goals, said “we live in a world where girls are often told they cannot achieve certain feats simply because they are girls. That notion is wrong. I strongly believe that with confidence, a girl can achieve whatever she wants. This is why I joined Always in this campaign to help girls dream big and aspire towards their dreams.”
The initiative was motivated by the result of a poll carried out by P&G, which revealed that 61 per cent of girls do not feel they have the right support to pursue their preferred career choice. It shows that girls face certain limitations when they decide to follow their dreams especially in developing societies.
The organisation added that the MyFutureStartsToday campaign is working with women who have achieved success in their chosen careers, including Uche Pedro; Dr. Ola Orekunrin, the founder, Flying Doctors Nigeria; and Mercy Eghonghon, a professional Nigerian pilot who started flying at 17 and became a captain at 25.
