Project presented by Casamasanté

Promoting equal opportunities for girls and boys in the Oussouye district of Casamance (Senegal)

Education and equal opportunities

The project takes place in Senegal, in the department of Oussouye, a rural and inaccessible area. The weight of tradition is still very much in evidence, with strong gender discrimination impacting and hindering the emancipation of girls. Menstrual periods are taboo; the rate of early pregnancies is very high; adolescents have little information on the bodily changes associated with puberty; menstrual hygiene management (GHM) generates economic and educational insecurity due to the cost and poor quality of towels and the frequent absence of functional women’s toilets.

The Elle=Il project aims to raise awareness among local teenagers about menstruation, GHM, gender discrimination and violence. These topics are addressed in secondary schools through fun and sporting workshops and participatory screenings and debates. A depot for reusable sanitary towels/cups, a program of workshops on managing painful periods and a women’s toilet management committee have been set up in the schools to combat menstrual insecurity. The community component of the project promotes female leadership and positive masculinity via a girls’ leadership club and a "Heroes’ Club" respectively. The latter brings together young people of equal numbers of boys and girls, who have been made aware of social psychology and are ready to become "gender" champions in their community.

Use of the prize:

The Public Choice Award will finance the purchase of reusable sanitary towels to be included in back-to-school kits for all girls. This would take place at the start of the 2024 school year. The prize would also pay a symbolic, incentive-based indemnitý to the teachers-leaders of the "Heroes Club".