The Linda Dominguez Foundation (LDF) has intensified its humanitarian and educational interventions across Africa, announcing plans to reach 3,000 girls with menstrual hygiene kits while expanding its free online English literacy programme to more countries.
The initiatives form part of the Foundation’s expanded SMILE Mission, following its successful outreach to 2,931 children and family members in underserved communities in September and October.
The November interventions will feature the cross-border Pad A Girl campaign, which seeks to distribute 3,000 hygiene kits alongside menstrual health education to girls, as well as the expansion of free online English literacy classes currently benefiting learners in Uganda and Mozambique. Ethiopia is expected to join the literacy programme in December.
Under its LDFCares Hope Month initiative, the Foundation reached 1,729 beneficiaries in October, comprising 1,615 people through physical outreach activities across eight zonal regions and 114 participants through six virtual events.
The Foundation also disclosed that its volunteers distributed 6,260 sachets of pure water, equivalent to 313 bags, to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and children in orphanages. This followed its September outreach, during which 1,202 children and families in underserved communities benefited from its humanitarian interventions.
Speaking on the impact of the programmes, the Head of Volunteers and Director of Trip Mission at LDF, Yetunde Olorode, said the growing number of beneficiaries reflected the dedication of volunteers and the Foundation’s commitment to reaching vulnerable communities.
“Behind every number is a child or a family we have met, listened to and served,” said Yetunde Olorode, Head of Volunteers and Director of Trip Mission at Linda Dominguez Foundation. “Our volunteers go where the need is greatest, and what we see on the ground continually drives us to do more. Reaching nearly 3,000 people in two months demonstrates what a committed team can achieve when people come together around a shared purpose.
“The dream is bigger than any one of us, and what keeps us going is knowing that there are still underserved communities waiting to be reached. With the support of the communities we serve and our network of volunteers across Africa, we believe we can extend our reach and deepen our impact. Ultimately, we want to see more lives transformed, hope restored, communities reached and children empowered to embrace literacy with dignity.”
On the Pad A Girl campaign, Nigeria Country Director and Pan-African Anglophone Coordinator, Stella Onuiri, said the intervention was designed to protect girls’ dignity and ensure that menstruation did not become a barrier to their education.
“Pad A Girl is about dignity and keeping girls in school every single month,” said Stella Onuiri, Nigeria Country Director and Pan-African Anglophone Coordinator. “Across Nigeria and our English-speaking partner countries, our teams are ready to deliver 3,000 kits with the education that goes with them so that no girl has to choose between her period and her classroom.”
She added that the initiative aligned with the Foundation’s commitment to inclusive education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
“As Nigeria Country Director and PanAfrican Anglophone Co-ordinator, my mantra is ‘no child must be left behind’, and this aligns so well with the foundation’s vision and mission (SMILE MISSION). We care that every child (girl/boy) gets access to literacy materials because quality education is a right and not a privilege. We uphold the vision of the UN on SDG4. Our goal is to make sure that the estimated 24 million out-of-school children in Africa are reduced significantly.”
Meanwhile, the Foundation’s free online English literacy programme is already providing live lessons through Google Meet to 40 learners in Uganda and Mozambique.
The programme currently has 21 pupils in Uganda and 19 learners in Mozambique. While the Ugandan pupils are receiving instruction in reading, writing, speaking and English pronunciation with the assistance of an interpreter, the Mozambican learners have begun with basic greetings and self-introduction.
Benin Republic Country Director and PanAfrican Francophone Coordinator, Samuel Michael, said the Foundation was also working to extend its educational and humanitarian interventions to French-speaking communities.
“Our mission does not stop at language borders,” said Samuel Michael, Benin Republic Country Director and Pan-African Francophone Coordinator. “As the English literacy classes grow, we are working to bring the same hope, hygiene support and learning opportunities to French-speaking communities so that every child can read, rise and thrive.”
He noted that the Foundation’s recent engagements in the Republic of Benin had included outreach activities in Zongo communities, visits to orphanages, educational engagements with children and youths, and a drug abuse awareness webinar.
“Through our recent mission engagements across Benin Republic, including outreach activities in Zongo communities, support visits to orphanages, educational engagements with children and youth, and a drug abuse awareness webinar, we have witnessed the transformative power of literacy and community development.
“As we prepare for our hygiene sensitisation campaign this November, Literacy Development Foundation remains committed to empowering vulnerable communities with knowledge, essential life skills and opportunities that inspire lasting change across Francophone Africa.”
The founder of the Foundation, Linda Dominguez, described literacy as a critical tool for empowering children and opening up opportunities for their future.
“A child who can read and speak English can learn, work and speak for herself,” said Linda Dominguez, founder of the Linda Dominguez Foundation. “When I see children in Uganda and Mozambique say their names and form their first words in English through a screen, I am reminded that a volunteer with a laptop can open a door that stays open for life. Every meal, every hygiene kit and every lesson is part of one promise: Read. Rise. Thrive.”
Looking ahead, the Foundation said its December activities would include a Christmas relief drive to provide food and clothing to less privileged families, enabling them to celebrate the festive season with dignity.
The month will also witness the commencement of its free online English literacy classes in Ethiopia, further extending the Foundation’s educational outreach across the continent.
Through its humanitarian, hygiene and literacy programmes, LDF said it remained committed to improving access to education, restoring hope and empowering vulnerable children and families across Africa.
