Girls Run Period intends to change that unfortunate current reality across Africa.
We are a not for profit corporation based in Ontario, Canada which promotes girls’ health, education and wellbeing by encouraging physical fitness, training and economic opportunities in Africa, which align with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and whose principal awareness raising and fundraising initiative will be an annual five day rolling marathon staged along an iconic tourism destination on the continent.
BACKGROUND
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to more than 500 million women who account for about half of the continent’s population and 14 percent of the female population worldwide. About 47 percent of them are of reproductive age, defined as between 15 and 49 years (World Bank, 2016).
Women in SSA are more likely to die from communicable diseases (e.g. HIV, tuberculosis and malaria), maternal and perinatal conditions, and nutritional deficiencies, than women in other regions. Globally, about 468 million women aged 15–49 years (30% of all women) are thought to be anaemic, at least half because of iron deficiency and most of these anaemic women live in Africa (48–57%)(WHO, 2020). In some settings, gender discrimination means girls are less likely to access to vaccines, health services and good nutrition than their male counterparts.
Educating girls and women has been demonstrated by international health organizations to improve health outcomes. Knowledge that empowers and access to healthcare products and services are critical for them to maintain good sexual and reproductive health, leading to improved work opportunities and better quality of life. Young girls can then better define their career path by becoming business owners or working in small and medium scale enterprises.
