Empowering Youth Through Fashion and Health: The Healthy Wealthy You Bootcamp

In communities like Ota, where 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, many young girls and boys face barriers to education, health, and economic empowerment. What if we told you that the teenagers in our cover picture not only learned to design and make their own clothes, but also gained entrepreneurial skills to build sustainable futures for themselves?

The "Healthy Wealthy You" Bootcamp is a transformative initiative that empowers young girls and boys aged 13-24 in low-income communities in Ota. By offering both fashion design training and health education, we aim to reduce poverty and improve reproductive health outcomes while creating a path to economic independence.

Through fashion design training, participants learn to repurpose waste materials into stylish clothing, providing them with the skills to start their own businesses. In parallel, we teach participants to produce reusable sanitary pads, promoting menstrual health while creating income-generating opportunities.

This dual approach supports both health and economic empowerment, ensuring that young people have the tools they need to succeed. To date, over 100 boys and girls have been trained, and we have already conducted six 2-hour training sessions for 35 teenagers and a week-long bootcamp for 75 teenagers.

Our short-term goals which include engaging 100+ young girls and boys in bootcamps and measuring their knowledge gain through surveys, has been achieved. Long-term, we aim to expand the program to other underserved regions, training 200+ young women and men to advocate for health and economic empowerment.

We measure success through the number of workshops held, participant feedback, and tracking improvements in health and business outcomes. Partnering with Dream Code, Before and Beyond 20, and IRPEP, we are committed to creating lasting change in Ota and beyond.

Join us in transforming the lives of young people—one workshop at a time.