By Tare Youdeowei

ALWAYS, a feminine care brand of Procter and Gamble Nigeria, in partnership with Women in  Management, Business and Public Service,WIMBIZ  has rewarded 100 winners of its just concluded Always #MyFutureStartsToday Essay Competition at Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos.

The essay competition, which started in August with an invite for girls between ages 11 and 16 to send in essays about their dream careers and the challenges they face as girls, saw over 2000 entries received, where 100 winners emerged to be rewarded with a scholarship grant worth 100,000 naira each.

Speaking on the initiative, Brand Marketing Director, Procter and Gamble Nigeria, Tolu Adedeji said; “There are so many challenges facing the girl child in Nigeria, as such, it is evident that girl education and mentorship will not only benefit the girls, it will also impact the whole society. The education of girls is important for us. In fact, Always advocates the empowerment of girls and women.

“In our bid to continue to contribute to Nigeria, its girls and women, we have launched this platform to reach more girls and help them achieve their potentials. When the video was launched, we were overwhelmed with the response and support that we received from everyone. It affirmed that starting up a conversation like the Always #MyFutureStartsToday can help build a girl’s confidence.” Adedeji said.

In her keynote address, Founder of Bella Naija, Uche Pedro stated that it is important to help girls realize that they can achieve whatever they set out to do. “We live in a world where girls are often told that they cannot achieve certain feats simply because they are girls but that notion is wrong. I strongly believe that with confidence a girl can achieve whatever she wants. This is why I joined Always in this campaign to help girls dream big, and aspire towards their dreams,” Uche said.

Expressing his happiness, a parent of an awardee, Christopher Ameh said; “I appreciate Always for this wonderful initiative that inspires girls and boosts their confidence. Not only will it inspire girls to dream big and improve on the validity of their dreams, it will also push them further towards the attainment of those dreams.”