P&G rewards winners of ‘My Future Starts Today’ initiative

Always, the leading feminine care brand from Procter & Gamble Nigeria has rewarded winners of its My Future Starts Today Essay Competition.

The challenge, which was organised to inspire girls and their dreams, opened to girls between the ages of 11 and 16. The girls were invited to send in essays talking about their dream careers and the challenges they face as girls. Over 2,000 entries were received out of which emerged 100 winners, who were each rewarded with a scholarship grant worth N100,000.

At the award ceremony in Lagos, Tolu Adedeji, brand marketing director, Procter & Gamble Nigeria, said when the video was launched, they were overwhelmed with the response and support received, which affirmed that starting up a conversation like the Always My Future Starts Today could help build a girl’s confidence.

Following the essay competition is a mentorship programme organised by Always in partnership with Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), an organisation that is committed to the socio-economic development of young girls through capacity building, mentorship and taught programmes. Schools in Lagos and Abuja will be selected for the mentorship programme and girls in these schools will have the opportunity of being mentored, enlightened and inspired to achieve their potential.

“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 and Nigerian girls and women, we have launched this platform to reach more girls and help them to achieve their potential,” Adedeji said.

Uche Pedro, founder of Bella Naija, in her keynote address said that it was important for girls to help other girls realise 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,” she said.

The initiative was motivated by the result of a poll carried out by P&G earlier in the year, which revealed that 61 percent of girls do not feel they have the right support to pursue their preferred career choice.