Returning With Purpose: Continuing Our Commitment to Girl-Centred Care in Nigeria

At ourppls, we believe community work is most powerful when it is led by people rooted in the places they serve. This year, through our CIC arm, we’ve been intentionally creating space for our team to design and deliver projects that reflect both their lived realities and the needs of their communities.

This work builds on our first outreach programme led by Victor Edet, our Community Administrator based in Nigeria, whose Empower the Girl Child Project centred dignity, menstrual health and environmental care for young women and girls in North Eastern Nigeria. That initial intervention reached over 200 schoolgirls and demonstrated what becomes possible when care, education and cultural understanding come together — with a measured 22% increase in menstrual health knowledge following the seminar.

This follow-up outreach marks a continuation of that commitment. Led once again by Victor, this next phase deepened our focus on menstrual health education, confidence-building and sustainable practice, working directly with Essence Imperial College. As implementing partners on the ground, ourppls CIC coordinated school access, workshops with health professionals and community volunteers, supported local production of the reusable sanitary pads, and documenting the stories and learnings that emerged.

At the heart of this project is a simple but radical belief: that girls deserve to understand their bodies without shame, access care without barriers, and grow up knowing their dignity is non-negotiable. In communities where stigma, misinformation and limited resources still disrupt education and wellbeing, this work is not just educational — it’s protective, affirming and future-facing.

What continues to stand out is the power of safe, judgement-free spaces.

This follow-up programme is part of a longer journey. One that recognises that change doesn’t happen in a single visit, but through consistency, trust and showing up again. We’re grateful to the educators, health professionals, community partners and students who continue to shape this work alongside us — and to Victor, whose leadership reminds us why locally-led action matters.