Niger's "Illimin" adolescent initiative has made a big difference in the lives of thousands of adolescent girls across the country. Many of them have learned to read and write through the literacy module.
I never went to school, but thanks to the Illimin Initiative, I learned to read and write in Hausa. I can write my name and surname. I can count in French up to 100," testified Samira Abdoul Aziz, 14, from Espace Sûr de Madateye in the Maradi region.
For Balkissa Adamou, 17 years old, Espace Sûr of Matamèye in the region of Zinder, it is especially the module on reproductive health that had a great impact on her. She says, "I learned a lot about women's menstrual periods. The woman or the girl must adopt a good behavior during her menstruation period, that is to say the way to maintain her body well. For example, it is important to respect the following rules: avoid staying indoors, avoid wearing wet clothes, wash and change her diaper four (4) to five (5) times a day, stay away from young boys because in this period, it is easy to get pregnant. She adds, "I have noticed the following signs of puberty: the enlargement of her body, the breasts increase in volume, the bad smells when one does not maintain her body well".
The little Aichatou Issoufou, 12 years old, from Magaria in the region of Zinder has experienced a positive transformation in her life.
Orphaned of her mother and entrusted to her uncle, she lives a difficult life. All the children in her family attend school except for her, who does the daily chores. With the arrival of the Niger Illimin Adolescent Initiative, she was enrolled by a friend of her late mother. My time in this program was a great eye-opener for me to understand that I have the right to education. At the beginning, it is after the chores I go to the Safe Space and often I am absent. But, later on, I thought it would be more useful for me to go first to the modular and literacy sessions," says Aichatou Issoufou.
The Niger Illimin Adolescent Initiative is positively transforming the lives of thousands of adolescent girls, and their parents are wishing the initiative more success.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has supported the Ministry of Women's Promotion and Child Protection to implement the Niger Adolescent Girls Initiative-ILLIMIN (Dignity through Knowledge) since 2013, through which adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 have been supported to empower themselves.
