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By Christy Anyanwu
Juliet Esiri’s name is synonymous with beauty as a foremost makeover artist and ace gele headgear expert in the United Kingdom. She is also a senior nurse and promoter of a non-profit organisation dedicated to the wellbeing of people in need, especially those in rural communities and urban areas deprived of life-enhancing amenities and opportunities in Nigeria.
Recently, she came back to Nigeria during the Sallah break to put smiles on the faces of the underprivileged through charity work and also motivate teenage girls in Ibadan, Oyo State, about personal hygiene and managing their monthly flow.
Her Okin Arewa Help Initiative, a non-governmental organisation founded in 2010, was established to support young schoolgirls by improving access to menstrual hygiene products and raising awareness about menstrual health.
Speaking with Sunday Sun, she said the initiative was founded out of a desire to ensure that no girl misses school or feels disadvantaged because she cannot afford sanitary pads.
She explained that, “since its inception, the project has focused on promoting dignity, confidence and educational opportunities for girls through the distribution of sanitary pads and menstrual health education within our communities.”
Esiri said: “We selected Bashorun Ogunmola High School, Ring Road, Ibadan, as part of our commitment to reaching young girls with menstrual hygiene support and education. While the school was chosen as part of our outreach efforts this time around, our vision is to expand the programme to many more schools and communities in the future.
“A total of 400 girls participated in the outreach, with each girl receiving a pack of sanitary pads. The response from the students was overwhelmingly positive. They were excited, appreciative and actively engaged throughout the session. Many of them asked thoughtful questions about menstrual health and hygiene, which gave us the opportunity to educate and encourage them.
“Seeing the girls’ enthusiasm and confidence during the programme was rewarding. It reaffirmed the importance of providing both menstrual products and education, ensuring that girls can manage their periods with dignity and continue their education without unnecessary barriers.”
Although based in the United Kingdom, her heart, she attested, has never been far from the grassroots communities in Nigeria.
In her words: “I stay deeply connected through regular communication with local contacts, school representatives, and volunteers who are on the ground. They help me understand, in real time, the challenges faced by young girls and vulnerable families.
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“But beyond systems and structures, what truly guides our work is empathy. Whenever I return for our outreach programmes, I see it myself, the needs are not statistics; they are real people, real children and real families. Meeting the girls during our Pad-A-Girl outreach, listening to their questions and seeing their smiles after receiving sanitary pads reminds me why this work matters so deeply.”
The Okin Arewa Initiative is a community-based non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals and families through health, education and humanitarian support programmes.
For the promoters of the initiative and its numerous supporters, the objective of the platform is to empower communities, promote healthy living and provide practical support to those in need, knowing full well that everyone deserves access to basic necessities, healthcare and opportunities that can improve their quality of life.
Furthermore, Esiri pointed out that, apart from the Pad-A-Girl Outreach, which focuses on providing sanitary pads and menstrual health education to young schoolgirls, her team also organises food outreach programmes where dry food items are distributed to members of the community facing hardship.
The NGO founder stated that the Okin Arewa Initiative conducts annual health screening programmes in rural communities, especially underserved and hard-to-reach areas, providing access to basic health checks and health education to help people identify and manage health issues early.
“In addition,” she said, “during the Eid al-Adha (Salah) period, we organised a food outreach programme where we distributed food items and groceries to families in the community. This was aimed at supporting those facing financial hardship and ensuring that more families could celebrate the festive season with dignity and joy.
These programmes reflect our commitment to improving health, wellbeing and quality of life within the communities we serve.”
Highlighting the focus on menstrual hygiene in teenagers and young women, Esiri said the inspiration for the Pad-A-Girl Outreach came from her own experiences while growing up.
“As a schoolgirl, I witnessed firsthand how some girls struggled to afford sanitary pads and, as a result, missed classes during their menstrual periods. It was heartbreaking to see bright young girls fall behind in their education because of something as basic as a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products.
“Those experiences stayed with me and motivated me to take action. I believe that no girl should have to choose between her education and managing her period with dignity.
“Through the Okin Arewa Help Initiative’s Pad A Girl outreach, we aim to remove some of these barriers by providing sanitary pads, promoting menstrual health education and encouraging girls to remain confident and focused on their studies.”
In an emotion-laden voice, she said the project was more than giving out pads. “It is about restoring dignity, supporting education and empowering girls to reach their full potential.
“Those moments stay with me. They are emotional and grounding. They remind me that access to something as basic as menstrual hygiene can determine whether a girl stays in school with confidence or suffers in silence.”
