Faith Benjamin is an experienced educator with over 15 years of teaching across nursery, primary, and tertiary levels. As founder of FirstClass Advantage Academy, a thriving nursery and primary school in Lagos, Nigeria, she doubles as a Parent Coach and Child Development Advocate. She is also passionate about helping children overcome academic struggles and reach their full potential. Faith is the convener of 360Parenting, equipping parents on positive parenting strategies and also the founder of Project Kidpreneur, a skills and vocational initiative empowering children aged 6–18. In this interview, she speaks on the need for parents to be present in the lives of their children.

‎What inspired you to be a parent coach and what does the work entail?

‎Working with children and interacting with them, I noticed a decline in their moral standards and level of critical thinking, and all these are largely traceable to the fact that a lot of parents have gotten so busy trying to make ends meet, robbing them off the time to teach, correct and instill sounds values in their children. Hence my decision to become a voice, letting parents know that there’s more work to be done than financial provision.

‎Can you explain what makes parenting more challenging in this day and age?

‎A whole lot has changed. Back in the days, our parents and teachers were our primary source of information and the society looked out for the well-being of the child, but now, technology has changed everything. Children now have access to all sorts of information and influence online a lot of which have negative effects on their behaviour, unfortunately, parents now have to work twice as hard. So, they’re no longer available as they ought to be making it harder to effectively parent their children and correct these negative influences. There’s also the challenge of how our values and moral standards have dropped drastically as a society, everyone has become so consumed with the idea of self, putting parents in a constant rat race of shielding children from its effects on their children.

‎With all that is going on in the country, especially with the economy, parents go through a lot of stress to put things together. What can parents do to reduce stress?
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First thing is to accept what you have no control over, that will greatly reduce your mental stress, live within a realistic budget and this includes the school fees and rent, prioritise your rest and avoid all unnecessary outings, and get passive sources of income if possible.
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‎‎From your experience, can you explain why not spending quality time with your children can be detrimental to their development?

‎As parents, we must know that we’re not the only ones raising our children, the society is also co-parenting with us indirectly but unfortunately, we can no longer vouch for the safety and positivity of today’s society. That is why it’s important to create quality time to deliberately teach your children good values, have meaningful conversations with them so you know who they interact with daily and the kind of influence these interactions have on them. It also affords you the opportunity to correct the misconceptions and bad habits they may have picked daily, and also building healthy relationships with your children where they can talk to you about everything is none negotiable, because if they’re not talking to you, they’re talking to someone else. So, let that someone be you.

‎Can you give few reasons on the need for parents to quality spend time with their children?

‎It affords you the opportunity to know the child you’re raising: You know how best to harness their strengths, help them overcome their weaknesses. It also reduces a lot of misbehaviours in children because you recognise it early enough to nip it in the bud. For much younger children, it supports healthy brain development which is the foundation for sound cognitive abilities.

‎As a child development advocate, can you share a moment your advocacy made an impact in a child’s life?

‎I just concluded a Behaviour Modification Programme I organised online, where parents learned how to diagnose misbehaviours in children. One of the testimonials that particularly stood out for me is a parent whose teenage daughter had become rude, difficult, uncomfortable, and had started keeping late nights. ‎The mother said she was able to pinpoint where the whole problem started from, and in the last two weeks, they have repaired their relationship to the point that the daughter now enjoys spending time with her, helps her with the cooking and even takes care of her younger siblings. In her words she said, “honestly, I thought I had failed as a mother, and that it was over but now, my daughter doesn’t want to leave my room, she’s always here to gist about one friend or the other. These are the kind of testimonials I receive from parents, and I’m grateful to God that I can make such impact.

‎We all face challenges but looking back at how you started and now, would you say it has been a smooth journey?

‎I would say my journey has been eventful and filled with several life experiences. I have learned from them all, making me the woman I am today. No regrets, just wisdom gained.

‎What are your hopes and goals for the future?

‎In the future, I hope to reach millions of families through my content, books, courses, and training programmes, leaving a lasting impact on parents, children, and educators. Ultimately, I want my work to be remembered for helping families build stronger relationships and raising a generation of children who are kind, capable, and prepared for the future.

What message do you have for women going through one challenge or the other?

‎Don’t let this season convince you that your life is over, stay strong, be prayerful and weigh your options. There’s no point pretending to be strong when you know you need support, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. ‎Above all, don’t give up, hold on, speak positively about your situation, hold on to your faith no matter how little, and keep trusting God
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‎Initiative says 37m Nigerian girls face period poverty

The Engage Youth Africa Initiative has raised concern over the growing burden of period poverty in Nigeria, revealing that about 37 million women and girls lack access to safe and affordable menstrual hygiene products. The initiative warned that the situation continues to undermine the health, education and dignity of millions of girls and women.
The organisation raised this concern during the fifth edition of its PADHER Programme, held at Talenty Boarding School, Osagie, Ajibode, Ibadan, with the theme, “Sensitisation of the Girl Child in Secondary Schools.”

Speaking at the programme, the organisation’s Community Manager, Oluwabukola Balogun, said the initiative was established to break the silence surrounding menstruation, promote menstrual hygiene education through awareness campaigns and the distribution of sanitary products.

According to her, menstruation should never be treated as a source of shame, stressing that parents, teachers, guardians and communities have a collective responsibility to provide young girls with accurate information and the support needed to navigate puberty with confidence.

She noted that many girls still lack access to menstrual hygiene education and sanitary products, exposing them to health risks, absenteeism from school and social stigma.

“We are creating awareness on period poverty, sensitising young women and girls, and ensuring they understand proper menstrual hygiene. There is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to menstruation. It is a natural part of life and should be discussed openly,” she said.

Balogun disclosed that the PADHER initiative has reached communities in Kano, Abuja, Ibadan and other parts of the country, describing the current outreach as the fifth edition of the programme.

“We have about 37 million women and girls still affected by period poverty. That figure shows that we still have a long way to go. Our goal is to reach as many girls as possible. With the right partnerships, reaching 10 million girls over the next five years is achievable,” she added.

Also speaking, the Project Lead of the event, Miracle Oluwatoyin Adedugba, urged girls to embrace menstruation as a normal biological process rather than something to conceal or fear.

Delivering a session on “Menstrual Health and Dignity,” Adedugba said menstrual periods should never become a barrier to education or personal development.

“Menstruation should never stop your education. Every girl should understand her body, know her menstrual cycle and have access to the right information needed to manage her period safely and confidently,” she said.

She urged the students to replace sanitary pads every four to six hours, wash their hands before and after changing pads, clean the genital area with clean water, dispose of used pads properly, drink adequate water, get sufficient rest and always keep emergency sanitary pads in their school bags.

Adedugba also educated the students on common menstrual symptoms, including abdominal cramps, back pain, breast tenderness, bloating, mood swings, headaches and skin breakouts, describing them as normal experiences during menstruation.

However, she cautioned that prolonged menstrual bleeding lasting more than seven days, excessive bleeding, severe pain that disrupts daily activities, missed periods unrelated to pregnancy and abnormal discharge with offensive odour require immediate medical attention.

She urged governments, schools, parents, corporate organisations and development partners to work together to end period poverty, insisting that access to menstrual hygiene products and education should be recognised as a basic right rather than a privilege.