MY STORY AS A SCHOOL CHAMPION

These stories, though diverse in their origins, share a common thread of resilience, empowerment, and community engagement. Through education, advocacy, and collective action, these students have not only transformed their own lives but have also ignited a ripple of change that resonates far beyond their schools.

School Champion Tackling Period Discrimination

Sixteen-year-old Shammah is on a mission to end menstruation discrimination at her school! She’s sharing the facts about periods with others (especially boys) and embracing positive practices that promote gender equality.

At Shammah school, period discrimination is common and girls are often bullied during their periods. Shammah is working to change this and is leading by example to educate her boy  peers on the realities of menstruation; championing new positive practices that promote gender equality in the school and even understanding the role teachers/parents play in bringing about positive change.

“If a girl is having her period, boys should not laugh at her, make fun of her, or insult her. This will certainly make them feel less embarrassed when they have their period because this is normal.”

This is the message that Shammah shares with her fellow students, understanding that girls shouldn’t face discrimination during their period

“Gender equality is important. It must be fought for because it is one way to improve menstrual health .Girls at school are often bullied when they have their period, or experience a menstrual accident. This makes them feel ashamed and embarrassed, and some girls stay home when they are menstruating.”

SHAMMAH explains with a solemn look on her face

Shammah understands that to bring about social change and end period discrimination, it’s important that boys understand more about menstrual health. She has embraced opportunities to learn more and share her learning through her role as a school peer educator.

“As a peer educator, I have taken part in various activities, including the menstrual hygiene management training in my school by Vision In Action , which has helped me, alongside some of my school mates who are boys and also peer educators , to understand that girls and boys are equal, and menstruation doesn’t make us girls different because it’s normal”

People of quality are not threatened by equality

a school champion for gender justice

“Gender equality is important. It must be fought for because it is a way to improve everyone’s ’ lives boys and girls alike. thanks to the training i have received as a school champion for gender justice, because it has inspired me to create a difference not just in my school but in my community as well. now, i teach my friends especially the boys about respect and equality and I hope that by teaching girls and boys about gender equality,i can try to create a school where   they will exist mutual respect between boys and girls

says a Andrew

“ Before I was trained as a school champion, I used to believe that it was OK to laugh at girls when they  had menstrual accidents. I used to bully the junior students, especially the girls because I know they can’t fight back. I and my friends would laugh at any boy who allowed a girl to beat them up, we would also laugh at any boy we caught crying i would mock them and call them princess and i was not ashamed or afraid to raise my hand on any girl who dared to challenge me”

Andrew explains with a sad smile on his face as he recalls his old self 

But after my training as a peer educator, i realized that i wasn’t strong or though i was just being mean to both boys and girls in my school especially to the lower classes .Having knowledge on GBV has  helped me to know about my rights on what to do and what not to do.and how to respect the rights of others. Through my training I now understand that being strong is not about bullying others or heating girls. I now understand that it’s OK for boys to cry too.

At school, others take advantage of some by saying I am big and you are small, I have the right to do whatever I want to do to you and you will not do anything to me because I am your senior, which is not right. So as a peer educator with my knowledge of G.B.V, I fight against this violence now by talking to the perpetrators and  reporting cases I can’t control  to the discipline master. I know that it is not right to discriminate against a person because of their size, or gender  .”

Andrew further explains

He concluded by saying that, “I equally tell my school mates that they have the right to report to the school administration about anything that a person does to them that makes them uncomfortable. My friends now know better too and understand the concept of respect and equity. thanks to my training on gender justice from VIAC now know that gender based violence is not just violence against girls and women,its much more than that  and I stand proud as an ambassador for gender justice in my school because men of quality are not threatened by equality

 I AM A KNIGHT  ON A MISSION TO STOP MENSTRUAL STIGMA

This is MARK a student of GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL and he is one of the school champions selected to be a peer educator for menstrual health management (M.H.M) and gender based violence (G.B.V) in my schools.

 He has been a peer educator for the past two years and he is  very grateful for the opportunity to be part of this life-changing program “Initially when the program started and I was selected I thought I was in the wrong place because the topics where on Menstruation and Gender Based Violence which is considered as girls topic but subsequently I got to realize that it was a life changing program because before this program I was fund of laughing at girls when they were stained or had a menstrual accident, Me and my friends were very fun of body shaming girls in our class laughing at those who were too fat and insulting those who were slim in nature”

“sometimes we went as far as slapping their buttocks just to make them fill even worse I was also fund of getting the attention of girls I liked, in very inappropriate ways like whistling at them when they passed or making crude comments at them which often strained my friendship with girls but i didn’t mind because my friends considered me to be ‘cool’ like that.”

“I can say that thanks to the series of training on M.H.M and G.B.V, I have stopped doing all these things. Today, I have not only apologized to my female classmates, I have even taught some of them about menstrual health and also  help girls when they have a menstrual accident; apart from educating my friends and getting them to stop such degrading habits, I get very defensive when I see a boy harassing girls in any way, both in school and in my community.and if i can’t stop them i report them to the authorities.

  I am proud to say that the program has changed me to a more understanding and helpful person a lot of people even boys now confide in me with their issues i now stand as a role model amongst my peers and in my school and i don’t plan on stopping there i will be a knight fighting against menstrual stigma even in my community”

MARK ends his story with a determined look on his face

we hope that these stories touch a lot of young boys and girls out there and ignite in them a burning desire for change. there is no better person to fight for the change you want to see. so join the peer educators of VISION IN ACTION CAMEROON to make that change possible. Remember every great journey starts with the first step!!!!!