About us
Education. Empowerment. Health
Lily Pad Projects supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals to promote zero hunger (Goal 2), good health (Goal 3), quality education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5), clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), and partnership for the goals (Goal 17) and advocate the use of Reusable sanitary pads.
Why is that?
Because it’s eco-friendly, inexpensive, and durable. It takes over 500 years for one disposable sanitary pad to decompose which means there will be continuous environmental sanitary pollution. The tons of disposable pads on dumpsites used by thousands of women in Nigeria will not decompose in the entire lifetime of the girls and women.
By encouraging the use of reusable sanitary pads, sanitary pollution will be gradually reduced which is of great impact to the ecosystem and environmental sustainability. In a country like Nigeria where sanitary pads are not easily accessible due to their cost, feeding also becomes difficult, and maintaining good health can be difficult. During each project, benefactors will be fed and empowered with knowledge of menstrual hygiene education and skills to earn money from. By teaching the girls how to make their own reusable sanitary pads, they can save money subsequently which can also keep them in school without excuses of not having access to sanitary pads.
Kathy Calvin, United Nations Foundation President & CEO said, “Girls are one of the most powerful forces for change in the world: When their rights are recognized, their needs are met, and their voices are heard, they drive positive change in their families, their communities, and the world.” Empowering girls and woman enhance the development of societies and the world at large.
Target benefactors
Our major targets are girls in low-income communities. However, older women can be benefactors too. According to the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has said over 37 million Nigerian adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, lack access to menstrual hygiene products due to high costs. UNICEF also reports, one in 10 African girls miss school due to their periods. This is akin to about 20% of a school year. Nigeria also places a heavy tax on menstrual products, with a pack of pads costing around $1.30. People who are facing extreme poverty, approximately 44% of the population, make less than $1.90 per day.
It takes a lot of work to teach young girls to know how to maintain a reusable sanitary pad because it requires proper hygiene which is also dependent on clean water and the ability to sun dry the used pads. At Lily pad projects, we carry out regular check-ups on the girls to follow up on how they are maintaining proper menstrual hygiene. For us, we can take one step at a time to introduce them to this product, and in the big picture, we plan to be able to build water systems in communities over the years.
Lily Pad projects is registered under the CAC Acts 2020 with registration number 3301171.
Mission
To educate and empower young girls through menstrual hygiene education, providing reusable sanitary pads, promoting sustainable practices to reduce sanitary waste, and fostering an environment that empowers children for greatness.
Vision
A brighter, healthier future, where girls confidently embrace their potential and embark on the path to greatness, equipped with the tools and knowledge to manage their menstrual health with dignity.
