At Akropong School for the Blind . . .Female students sensitised to menstrual cup usage

Female pupils and students of the Akropong School for the Blind in the Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern Region have been taken through how to use a menstrual cup.

The cup is a device to contain menstrual flow which can be emptied and reused during menstruation period.

It is fast replacing menstrual pad but many females do not know how to properly use it.

The exercise was organised in the school last Friday by Hope of Africa Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with financial support from OXFAM.

It was part of activities the NGO earmarked for this year's Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Presentation

At the event, the foundation presented packs of disposable and reusable sanitary pads to the girls in the school to enable them to stay in class whenever they are having their periods.

The girls were then taken through the use of the new menstrual cup.

Educating the pupils and students, the Programmes Manager of the foundation, Vincentia Koranteng Asante, said the choice of the school was because the pupils and students were "special people" and should be guided on the proper usage of the menstrual cup.

Giving the history of the celebration of the menstrual hygiene day, Ms Asante stated that it started in 2014 by an NGO, WASH United.

That initiative, she indicated, was to sensitise girls and young females to menstruation and how to hygienically deal with it.

The Programmes Manager said it was also to educate them on how to take care of themselves when using the menstrual cup in such a way that they would not be infected with diseases during menstruation.

Ms Asante stressed the need for the government to remove taxes on sanitary pad to lessen financial burdens faced by adolescent girls during their menstrual periods.

She said the essence was to do away with stigmatisation and some norms associated with menstruation. 

Norms

A Gender Advisor of Oxfam Ghana, Thelma Hayford, called for myths around menstruation to be fully addressed, saying that menstruation was normal for girls.

She appealed to boys to support their girls in school during their menstrual period.

The Senior Housemistress of the school, Christine Soboh, who received the items on behalf of the school, thanked the foundation for the gesture and promised to distribute it to the girls in the school to serve the intended purpose.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh