There are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world, with an estimated 50 million girls starting puberty each year. Sadly, two out of three girls don’t know enough about what is happening to them during as they start menstruating, causing a drop of self esteem and confidence.
Girls like Sabrita from Nepal, age 16, who was scared because she was told to not touch anything at home and to hide her clothes.
Girls like Abeba from Ethiopia, age 14, who heard her parents tell her sisters that girls who engage in sex outside of marriage get their periods.
Girls like Ayanda from South Africa, age 15, who shared that her friends miss school when they are on their periods.
We believe that no girl should have to lose her confidence.
During the past 30 years, our Always/Whisper brand has educated millions of adolescent girls in 65 countries by providing fundamental puberty education in school, reaching 17-20 million girls annually.
We've been able to execute all these programs thank to partnership with several Ministries of Education around the world by delivering class sessions through NGOs like Save the Children, that provide peer-to-peer connection, interactive learning sessions and menstrual education. But also by reaching out to teachers, Mothers and Parents. These programs live our mission of advocating and educating women to live life to their fullest potential.
On March 13, Always and Whisper joined UNESCO to announce the launch of the new Good Policy and Practice on Puberty Education and Menstrual Hygiene Management. These efforts recognized Always Puberty Education as a Model for Public-Private partnership.
The launch of this publication also serves as a catalyst to support our Always Brand Purpose, foster partnerships and strengthen global influencer networks with world experts from academia like Columbia University, W.H.O., UNICEF, UNESCO, and NGOs including Save the Children, CARE, Girl Up, and the Nike Foundation, Girls Rising and many others who joined the announcement.
You can see Sabrita, Abeba and Ayanda share their stories in the inspirational Always Puberty Education Program—"Helping to Empower Girls around the World" video below. Finally, don't forget to follow Always, and share your opinion using the hashtag #Always4Girls.
