Community youth organisation partners with local businesses to promote healthy habits and raise awareness of period poverty in Antigua’s schools

Youth Arise Antigua (YAA) has completed its Fresh, Clean & Confident Hygiene School Drive, an initiative that taught primary and secondary school students the importance of personal hygiene and provided them with starter hygiene kit supplies.

During the drive, YAA members visited the Grade Six class at Urlings Primary School and the Form One classes at Irene B. Williams Secondary School and led fun, interactive sessions for boys and girls. Students learned proper handwashing, dental care, daily bathing, and caring for their clothes, and practised “germ manners” such as coughing and sneezing into their elbows. Older students also explored the body changes that come with puberty and the new hygiene habits they bring.

The sessions also raised awareness of period poverty, when someone cannot get or afford pads, soap, clean water or information to manage their period safely. Students discussed how they can support classmates through kindness, respect and quietly seeking help from a trusted adult.

Each session ended with students taking the YAA Fresh & Kind Pledge, promising to keep their bodies clean, respect their growing bodies, never tease anyone about their body or their period, and be “fresh, clean, confident and kind!”

Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors, students received starter hygiene kits. The remaining hygiene packages were distributed at Pares Secondary School to students in the third form classes, extending the drive’s reach to even more young people.

“Good hygiene is about more than staying clean. It builds confidence, protects health and teaches respect for ourselves and others,” said Makiba Ward, Founder and President of Youth Arise Antigua. “No student should miss out on learning or feel ashamed because they lack basic hygiene supplies. Through this drive, we wanted our young people to leave not only with knowledge, but with the tools to practise these habits every day.”

Youth Arise Antigua extends heartfelt appreciation to the sponsors and supporters who made the drive possible by providing starter hygiene kit supplies:

Omnicare Pharmacy

Perry Bay Supermarket

Ceco Pharmacy

Medicare Pharmacy

Anjos Wholesale

Shadise Gardner

Youth Arise Antigua Members

“Your generosity is making a difference,” Ward added. “Together, we are helping our students stay fresh, healthy and confident.”

YAA also thanks the principals, teachers and students of the participating schools for welcoming the team.

About Youth Arise Antigua

Youth Arise Antigua is a non-profit youth organisation founded in 2019. Guided by its motto, “Together We Rise, Together We Strive, To Make a Difference in Someone’s Life,” YAA focuses on youth empowerment, education and development, community service, and leadership and excellence.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Youth Arise Antigua Equips Students with Starter Hygiene Kits Through "Fresh, Clean & Confident" Hygiene School Drive.