Safety for Girls (S for Girls)

Using technology to educate young girls living on the streets about their health reproduction. 

Lack of information on health reproduction and improper hygiene among the girls living on the streets in Accra is a concern. We have been working with an organization that helps street residents, and we realized that street residents are not clean enough. Some don't even know how to clean themselves properly, especially girls during their periods. Also, talking to them more often has made us realize that more of them don't know much about their reproductive health, how their body changes as they grow, and they do not know how to go about it. We have been talking to girls living in Opeibea and Kantamanto, two cities in Accra, and we have a number between 30 and 40 girls affected by this issue. 

Unresponsible men and homelessness are the significant factors contributing to this issue. Most of them don't shower because there is no safe place for them to shower; others don't have requirements such as soaps, lotion, toothpaste, a place to wash their clothes, etc. Also, some unresponsible men manipulate these girls, lie to them about their reproductive health, and promise them luxury things they will never give them in exchange for having sexual interaction with them. And since girls have no information regarding their reproductive health, they end up falling into those men's traps where they end up always having unprotected sexual intercourse, and most of the time. As we all know, unprotected sexual intercourse has different negative effects, such as unwanted pregnancies, the transmission of STDs, and other diseases such as AIDS. When girls living on the streets face some of these problems, they often run into prostitution because they have lost hope for the future. According to Ghana health service, between 2016 and 2020, more than half a million Ghanaian girls aged 10 to 18 years became pregnant, which is a high number of teenage pregnancies in the country. And that is why S for Girls' main aim is to teach girls everything regarding their health reproduction because if they know how their body functions, they will also know what to do to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and unprotected sexual intercourse. 

S for Girls is an organization that educates women who are street residents about their menstrual cycle and reproductive system so that they can abstain from sexually transmitted diseases as well as early and unwanted pregnancy.
Firstly, We educate young women from 10 to 18 years old. We group young women into three categories based on their age. In each category, we educate them with various approaches. We educate them about their menstrual cycle and reproductive system, connect them to hospitals and clinics that can assist them, and cover their treatment costs if they cannot pay.

Our organization is currently based in Kantamanto, Ghana, but we would like to reach out to more young women who are unaware of their menstrual cycle and reproductive system due to their parents' reluctance to talk to their children. We also aim to reduce the impact of inaccurate stereotypes instilled in young women by diverse communities.

To reach more young women, we will develop a web app called S for Girls that will allow girls to send in any questions they are shy to ask in public, and we will answer them directly. In addition to responding to private questions in the app, we are aware that some girls can experience specific issues with their menstrual cycle or reproductive system. In that situation, we will connect girls with unique concerns to female reproductive system experts who can provide them with medical assistance.

Lastly, we will provide an offline service through the use of USSD as an alternative way to reach a broader population without internet access.

Our target population is young women who consider the street their residence and are between 10 to 18 years old. Based on our research and interactions, they do not know about their health reproduction and personal hygiene. In most cases, they do not have people who advise them on how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and infections caused by uncleanliness. Also, when they need medical attention, no one or organizations can help them. S for Girls will mentor them about their hygiene, menstrual cycle, reproduction system, and other related concerns. Our organization will go beyond and support them financially in case they need medical support.

Growing up, my parents were uncomfortable discussing about the menstrual cycle and other reproductive system-related topics with me. The first time I had my period in primary, I thought I had a cut, so I tried to cover it up, but unfortunately, I had a heavy flow that day. I ended up staining myself in front of my teachers and classmates. Some of my teammates share different experiences of how various stereotypes concerning the menstrual cycle and the reproductive system could have affected their health. The experience we share as a team helps us relate to other young women facing similar problems. Secondly, my team comprises people passionate about the health and well-being of young women who consider the street their home. Some of them have worked with Future of Africa, an organization that works with children on the street, which gave them the experience of working with street residents.
Lastly, as a team, we possess qualities and skills such as communication, project management, programming, sympathy, and more from our work with Future of Africa, Girls guiding government, and other projects we have run. 

We have taken a multi-faceted approach to fully understand the needs of the population we aim to serve. Our first step was volunteering with Future of Africa (FOA). The organization focuses on taking children off the street and placing them back in schools or training them to be entrepreneurs. As volunteers, we have regular outreach activities, where we meet with the children on the street and plan various activities such as games, dances, and discussions. Through these activities, we have established personal connections and gained insight into the children's interests and needs. 
  
In addition to volunteering, we have also conducted research with potential users by having in-depth conversations with the girls on the street. During these conversations, we have learned about their specific challenges, such as early pregnancy and male abuse. This research has helped us to gain a deeper understanding of the problem and the needs of the population we aim to serve. 
  
Furthermore, two of our team members have also worked on the project during service learning, a community service required for Leadership IV course. During this period, they contacted local hospitals to connect the girls with health reproduction care. Through this process, they discovered that many girls needed to be better informed about health reproduction and understand the importance of visiting the hospital. And also, given the society we live in, girls are not free to request services like STD checkups, vaginal infections, and other related essential medical screenings because they fear being judged. This information has significantly shaped the way we designed our project, specifically by emphasizing education on this subject. 
  
In conclusion, through volunteering with FOA, conducting research with potential users, and engaging with healthcare professionals, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the population we aim to serve. By utilizing this approach, we gained a deep understanding of the problem and the specific needs of young women, which will ultimately help us to create more effective solutions they feel comfortable using. 

Our solution is innovative and different from other solutions to the problem we are solving because S for Girls will approach the problem through mentorship, which other projects do. However, S for Girls has a plus of technology in providing mentorship and assisting the young girls living on the streets. We are planning to develop a web application that will serve as another means of mentorship to increase the privacy of the recipients of our services. It is also a safe space for them to ask personal questions they might be shy to ask in public, and we will provide answers to their questions through the same mean, our web application. Also, that is one of many uses of our web app because we will be using that same web application to connect our service recipients with special issues to hospitals and specialists to help them. Besides, we will provide similar services using USSD code for those without internet access. In addition, we will cover their costs since they live on the streets and don't have money to pay hospitals or specialists.   

We believe that asking private questions through the app will quickly change things for the better because most don't feel comfortable asking their personal questions when others are around. Therefore, giving them a safe space to ask all questions related to their health reproduction will help them learn more. Also, connecting them to specialists will help them because some of them suffer from different things that happen while on the streets, such as getting raped, and if they don't get health assistance as soon as possible, it affects their lives. Furthermore, we expect our target to expand based on our solution's positive impact. If S for Girls meets its mission while helping girls living on the streets of Kantamanto, we will also consider expanding to other regions in Accra. We have no plans to change our target population but rather to increase the number of service recipients.

S for Girls' goals for the next year is to create awareness about the importance of protecting oneself, educate girls on contraceptive methods, and establish partnerships with other organizations working towards similar goals. Also, we plan to incorporate technology to increase privacy and secure safe and affordable housing options for street girls. 

To achieve these goals, we have developed a plan that includes meeting with street girls to discuss how they can protect themselves and the importance of doing so. We have already established strong relationships with these girls, and they are open, honest, and vulnerable in discussions we have had with them. Additionally, we will provide training and education on hygiene and the use of various contraceptive methods to help girls make informed decisions about their reproductive health.

We also recognize the importance of collaboration and will be seeking partnerships with other organizations working towards similar goals. By working together, we can learn from the experiences of others and make the most of limited resources. To increase privacy and accessibility, we plan to develop an interactive web application that allows girls to ask questions anonymously and receive answers. We believe that this will encourage more girls to seek information and support. Finally, we will work with local organizations to identify and secure safe and affordable housing options for street girls. This will provide them with a stable place to live and allow them to focus on their health and well-being. 

By implementing these actions, we hope to make a meaningful impact in preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexual diseases among street girls, ultimately improving their overall quality of life. We will continuously assess and monitor our progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure that we are on track to achieving our impact goals. 

Since technology is the fastest-growing method of connecting to society, part of our approach is to create a website that will link the various project stakeholders. This website primarily enables the community, including the young women we are targeting, to ask questions about healthy reproduction, share testimonies, and receive advice from us.
  
It will also be utilized to link us up with other sponsors who want to support the community and assist us through donations, training, or volunteer work. In addition to using websites, we will also use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp to share information and announce our acts to the globe. 

Lastly, our offline service offered through the USSD code will also provide similar services to our web app.

Our solution is currently serving 40 young women between the ages of 10 and 18. 

Next year, we aim to impact 80 young women.

Possible barriers are cultural and financial barriers. 
Since we are looking to expand our project, our first barrier is sufficient funding to support our girls by providing them with basic needs. These needs are access to sanitary pads and other sanitary materials, paying their medical bills, and other essentials to keep them healthy. In terms of culture, some girls still have parents, and we may need the consent of their parents to educate their children. It can be a hindrance if parents do not understand its importance. Besides, since some of the young women already have the experience of having unprotected sexual intercourse, advising them to use protection can be challenging since that is how they have been living.
 

BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS 

Customer segment 

• The focus is on the young women on the streets of Kantamanto, a city in Accra. 

Customer relationships 

• There is an established interaction and communication between us and some of the girls, and mentorship, including one-on-one interactions.  
• Some of the girls have already learned how to use electronic devices to be used during the mentorship.  

Value propositions 

• Personalized and group mentorship on health reproduction. 
• Emphasize hygiene as part of the girls' safety. 
• Access to private and helpful information using web Applications and USSD code. 
• Case studies on unwanted pregnancy.  

Key activities 

• Development of web applications 
• Establish a community-based platform where testimonies, counseling, learning materials, and donations are shared.  
• In-person mentorship includes one-on-one mentorship to personalize and meet their needs to help them learn and heal.  
• Medical screening 

Distribution channels 

• Web Application and USSD code 
• In-person mentorship 

Key resources 

• Human resources such as health personnel and S for Girls team 
• Physical resources such as accommodation for some of the girls 
• Intellectual resources to build Apps and coordinate the web platform and USSD. 
• Financial resources to support the needs of our service recipients throughout the project. 

Key partners. 

• Future Of Africa (FOA) institution 
• Medical institutions 
• Sponsors 

Cost structure ( USD monthly) 

• Accommodation for special needs girls 2000 
• Data 700 
• Accessories 1000 
• Transportation 800 
• Meal during mentorship program 2000 
• Medical screening 5000 

Revenue streams (USD monthly) 

• Stipend savings 250 
• Pitch sponsorship 5000 

We are currently sustaining ourselves from our money and funds we obtained from pitching our project, but we plan to use our website to allow donations. Since our website and USSD code are free for young women, we plan to create a slot for donations. Also, we plan on organizing fundraising events in Ghana.