Angeline’s Story: How Iron Tablets Changed Her Life

Angeline is a 16-year-old girl who lives in Margibi County, Liberia. She is a 9th grade student at the Lango Lippaye high school, where she attends the school health club. She loves learning and dreams of becoming a nurse someday.

But Angeline’s life was not always easy. She started having her menstrual periods when she was only 9 years old, and she suffered from anaemia, a condition that causes weakness, headache, and fatigue. Anaemia is very common among adolescent girls in Liberia, affecting 55 per cent of them. It can also lead to complications during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as poor health and development of their children.

Angeline’s mother did not know how to help her daughter. She thought that iron tablets were only for pregnant women, and she did not have access to them anyway. She would keep Angeline home from school every month, hoping that she would feel better. But this only made Angeline miss out on her education and fall behind in her studies.

Everything changed when UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, launched a nutrition intervention in Margibi at Angeline’s school. The intervention aimed to tackle the problem of anaemia among adolescent girls by providing them with iron and folic acid tablets every week. The tablets help to prevent and treat anaemia, and improve the girls’ health, nutrition, and well-being.

Angeline was one of the first girls to join the program. She learned about the benefits of the tablets from her teacher and the health workers who visited the school. She also learned how to take care of herself during her periods, and how to maintain good personal hygiene and health. She started taking the tablets every Monday in class, and she noticed a big difference in how she felt.

“I don’t stay home from school anymore during my menses because I don’t have headache like I used to, and I am strong and not getting tired easily. I also have good appetite to eat and help my mother at home after school,” Angeline says.

Angeline’s mother is also happy with the program. She says that she did not know that her daughter needed to take iron tablets until she was 19, and she is glad that UNICEF and the government are taking care of the girls. She also appreciates that the teacher informs the parents about the program and the tablets in the parents’ meetings.

Angeline is now an advocate for the program. She encourages other girls in her school to take the tablets and be part of the school health club. She also shares her story with her friends and relatives and tells them how the tablets have changed her life.

Angeline’s story is one of many that show the impact of the nutrition intervention on the lives of adolescent girls in Liberia. The intervention is part of UNICEF’s efforts to ensure that every child has the right to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.

This intervention is made possible by the generous support of Irish Aid and Power of Nutrition, who are funding the nutrition programme in the country, in partnership with UNICEF and the government of Liberia.