Priscilla Efe Johnson is a member of Generation17, a partnership between Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), empowering young people around the world who are contributing to the Global Goals.

The first time she got her period, Efe Johnson was scared, even ashamed. “I did not know what was happening to me because nobody ever told me what to expect,” says Efe, now 24. “It was a very traumatic experience.”

Like many young girls born and raised in Kaduna State, Nigeria, she had questions about her body while growing up. But she lacked access to basic information around women’s health. It was taboo, which perpetuated a stigma across generations of women.

According to UNESCO, two out of three girls in sub-Saharan Africa lack comprehensive health knowledge and skills. As she got older, Efe became determined to break this dangerous and painful cycle of silence and shame for young girls — and she knew education through storytelling and innovation was the key.

Efe teaches girls about menstruation and feminine hygiene while leading a Xari Africa school tour in Kaduna State.

Shattering Stigma, Opening Access

Efe began visiting local schools to distribute free sanitary pads. That’s when she discovered that many girls had never used feminine hygiene products and didn’t have a safe space in their communities to talk about their experiences and ask questions.

Keeping girls in the dark about these topics can contribute to sexually transmitted diseases, gender-based violence and teen pregnancy, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the adolescent birth rate is more than twice the global average. It can also impede their schooling and economic advancement. In 2021, 23% of Nigerian girls missed school because of menstruation.

The more girls Efe met early on, through her visits to local schools, the more she connected with their experiences. “I see myself in them,” she says. “I see girls who have no one to help them understand their bodies. I see girls who desperately wish they had someone to talk to. I tell them, ‘I get it, and I’m here for you.’”

That’s what inspired Efe to start her own organisation, Xari Africa, a nonprofit that provides girls with access to reproductive and sexual health education and resources. Her mission: helping young women and girls feel empowered about their bodies and be able to make informed decisions about their health and future.

During a community event, Efe discusses her support for the Global Goals

Harnessing Innovation for Educational Equity

The organisation began on a mobile platform in 2017 where Efe connected with other young people in Kaduna State working on gender equity. This online community was empowering for her as a young entrepreneur, and it enabled her to garner the volunteers, resources and funding to officially launch Xari Africa the following year.

Today, technology continues to amplify the nonprofit’s efforts by spreading awareness about its school tours, educational materials and events through social media.  It powers their efforts to support the United Nation’s Global Goals, including ending poverty (Goal 1), delivering quality education (Goal 4), achieving gender equality and stopping violence against women and girls (Goal 5).

The school workshops cover everything from birth control to sexual boundaries and disease prevention – a first for the girls. These engaging events are also building a greater sense of community among girls and creating a supportive environment for asking sensitive questions and sharing personal, and sometimes painful, experiences. The workshops have reached more than 4,500 Nigerian students so far.

Crystal, a 15-year-old workshop participant, describes Xari Africa’s visit to her school in 2021 as transformative. “Efe was able to create a space where I could say things that were haunting me inside that I couldn’t say to anyone,” says Crystal. “Now I feel I can inspire other young girls to speak up.”

Despite her organisation’s success in Kaduna State, working in conservative and at times in hostile environments, Efe dreams of supporting more girls throughout Africa and beyond. Technology continues to extend Xari Africa’s reach. In 2023, her team launched an online academy to bridge critical gaps in health education worldwide. The growing digital library of interactive courses and imaginative animations allows parents, teachers, advocates and girls to learn about the female body privately without embarrassment or fear.

“The dream is to reach at least a million girls across Africa,” Efe says. “With technology, we can make reproductive and sexual health education more accessible, and we’ll be able to achieve our goal much faster.”

At home in Johannesburg, South Africa, a girl learns about period health using Xari Africa’s online academy.

A Creative Catalyst for Change

To make sexual health education and knowledge accessible to more adolescent girls, Xari Africa published a free menstruation guide, “Just Period It,” that covers pregnancy prevention and hygienic period practices. The nonprofit has distributed 3,500 copies of the book, which uses easy-to-follow storytelling coupled with vibrant, educational visuals to destigmatise and simplify complex topics.

Efe wanted “Just Period It” to be illuminating but also relatable for girls– taboo topics needed to be accessible, as they are an important part of growing up. So, she drew on her personal experience with period shame and touched on common misconceptions about women’s health. She worked closely with a designer on the artwork, blending informational drawings with empowering female imagery.

Xari Africa’s guidebook uses bold, inspiring imagery and an approachable, conversational tone to teach girls about their bodies.

Despite the inherent risks to her and her team’s personal safety while breaking barriers in traditional communities, Efe remains committed to the Global Goals and making the world safer and more equitable for future generations of women and girls. And, in particular, she’s ensuring that the journey from childhood to womanhood is better understood and embraced.

“This fight, this passion, is personal,” Efe says. “I advocate for health education because it’s something I never received, and I’m making a safe space for kids and teens because I didn’t have one. I want better for girls like me.”

To learn more, visit Xari Africa.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, home appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions, and delivering a seamless connected experience through its SmartThings ecosystem and open collaboration with partners. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com/za

Samsung’s Involvement in the Olympic Games

Samsung has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. For over 25 years, athletes and fans have trusted Samsung’s transformative mobile technology to share the Olympic spirit globally and continue to shape the digital future of the Olympic Games for Beijing 2022 and beyond. The company’s commitment to the Olympic Movement will enter its fourth decade of partnership and extend through Los Angeles 2028. Samsung’s purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including the activations of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and 5G features of that equipment will change the way the world experiences the Olympic Games.

About Samsung’s Involvement in the Paralympic Games

Samsung is a Worldwide Partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in the wireless communications and computing equipment category. Starting from Paralympic Winter Games Torino 2006, the company has proudly supported the Paralympic Movement and enabled athletes and fans around the world to share the excitement and inspiration of the Games through Samsung’s transformative mobile technology. Samsung’s commitment to the Paralympic Games will extend through to Los Angeles 2028 and be celebrated through innovative mobile and computing experiences powered by purposeful innovations in the wireless communications and computing equipment category, including the activations of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and 5G features of that equipment.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has announced that three new Young Leaders will join Generation17 – an initiative in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – to support young changemakers working to achieve the 17 Global Goals.[1] The addition of these three Young Leaders will help educate people about critical global challenges and the solutions needed to deliver a more prosperous future by 2030.

“We are thrilled to welcome these three innovative leaders to the Galaxy community and Generation17,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “These Young Leaders will inspire the Galaxy community to make positive changes in their daily lives, with their dedication to harness technology and open possibilities for a more equitable future. Each embodies the ingenuity and innovative spirit that we need to engage more people in helping to achieve the Global Goals.”

The New Young Leaders

For the first time, Samsung and UNDP conducted an open call that rallied thousands of passionate young people from all over the world to apply to join Generation17. This new group of Generation17 Young Leaders, chosen from a competitive pool of candidates, will add new perspectives to the initiative and their projects will bring forth new solutions in education, skills and training and health equity.

Zubair Junjunia (United Kingdom): Social entrepreneur and founder of ZNotes – a global learning platform enabling fair and equal access to education that has impacted four million students globally.

“I was inspired to build an education platform after witnessing the uneven playing field of education. We must empower youth to create an equitable education system, which is why I am excited to join Generation17 and bring awareness to global education challenges and inspire young people to stand up for causes they believe in.”

Priscilla Efe Johnson (Nigeria): Gender equality activist working to de-stigmatise women’s health through Xari Africa – a female-led organisation providing girls with access to reproductive and sexual health resources.

“Reproductive and sexual health is everybody’s business. This fight, this passion, is personal. That is why I am thrilled to be selected as a member of Generation17, working in partnership with Samsung and UNDP to elevate my voice and expand access and education to women’s healthcare across the globe.”

Mock Yi Jun (Singapore): Education leader and co-founder of Advisory Singapore – a youth-led charity dedicated to empowering young people from all walks of life to make informed career and education choices.

“Every person, no matter their background or socio-economic status, deserves a chance to pursue their aspirations, Generation17 is the perfect platform to enable more young people like me to empower individuals to take their education and career journey into their own hands.”

Amplifying Youth Leadership on a Global Stage

Samsung and UNDP launched Generation17 in October 2020, with the mission to magnify the voices and impactful work of young people accelerating progress for the Global Goals. Since the launch, Samsung and UNDP have gathered 17 Young Leaders across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America working on issues that encompass all 17 of the Global Goals.

Together, Samsung and UNDP provide the Young Leaders with mentorship and the latest Samsung Galaxy technology as well as access to agenda-setting events and other opportunities to elevate their platforms and connect with their peers and cross-sector, global decision makers. Generation17 Young Leaders have participated in various events, including Samsung’s Unpacked, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, Stockholm +50 and the United Nations General Assembly.

“To achieve the Global Goals, we need authentic action from young people – those on the frontlines of today’s most pressing issues – to build back progress and support for each goal,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “Through our partnership with Samsung, we aim to foster the growth of these Young Leaders as they address critical issues such as the climate crisis and human rights concerns to build a more resilient society.”

Three Generation17 Leaders at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity

Generation17 is grounded in Samsung and UNDP’s commitment to leverage technology as a force for good. The two organisations first partnered in 2019 to create the Samsung Global Goals app – an education and donation-based mobile app that informs people about the Global Goals and encourages them to take action just by using their Galaxy devices. Since then, the app has been installed on nearly 300 million Galaxy devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. It has enabled the Galaxy community to generate more than $10 million USD for UNDP’s work to promote environmental and social resilience around the world.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

[1] The 17 Global Goals, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 and provide a blueprint to end poverty, protect the environment, reduce economic inequality and ensure peace and justice for all.