Foundation donates sanitary pads to girls
As part of its 20th anniversary and in observation of World Hygiene Day, Ntiamoah Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has donated 3,600 pieces of sanitary pads worth GH¢96,000 to adolescent girls in the Eastern and Greater Accra regions.
The major event was held at Pankese near Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region last Friday.
At the ceremony, 1,500 of the pads were presented to 10 basic schools in the Pankese Circuit of the Birim North District in the Eastern Region, while the remaining 2,100 pads were later donated to the Ayawaso East and Ayawaso West municipalities in the Greater Accra Region.
The Birim North District Director of Education, Solomon Azubila, who presented the pads to the headteachers of the beneficiary schools in the Pankese Circuit, commended Ntiamoah Foundation for its commitment to education development and health promotion in the district.
He stressed that menstrual hygiene was a critical issue affecting the confidence, school attendance and academic performance of many girls, especially those from the vulnerable communities.
Mr Azubila said “many brilliant girls miss school during their menstrual periods because they cannot afford sanitary products,” stressing, “Interventions like this restore dignity, boost confidence and help keep girls in school.”
He stated that menstruation was natural, not a shame, and urged all and sundry to respect menstrual health.
The Executive Director of Ntiamoah Foundation, Mercy Quansah Ansah, noted that the intervention formed part of the NGO’s broader commitment towards promoting education, health and the well-being of vulnerable groups across the country.
She stressed that menstrual hygiene should never be a barrier to education.
“Every girl deserves dignity, confidence and equal opportunities to stay in school and achieve her dreams,” Mrs Quansah Ansah emphasised.
She stated that Ntiamoah Foundation had been supporting menstrual hygiene day and the girl child since 2019 and would continue to do so to the best of the foundation’s ability.
Menstrual hygiene management
The Programmes Manager of Ntiamoah Foundation, Williams Sarpong, highlighted the importance of educating young girls on proper menstrual hygiene management alongside the distribution of sanitary products.
He said beyond the donations, the foundation continued to engage schools and communities through sensitisation programmes aimed at breaking myths, stigma and silence surrounding menstruation.
The Birim North District Coordinator of the School Health and Education Programme (SHEP), Helena Gyimah, praised Ntiamoah Foundation for complementing the efforts of the government in promoting school health and hygiene activities.
She said menstrual hygiene management continued to be a major component of the SHEP and had been partnering with Ntiamoah Foundation to help improve the well-being of schoolchildren.
Ms Gyimah urged parents, teachers and the community at large to openly support conversations around menstrual health and provide the needed guidance to adolescent girls.
Other speakers at the ceremony included the District Girl Child Coordinator, Vivian Juliet Akyaa, the Minister in charge of Pankese Presbyterian Church, Rev. Lydia Afia Yeboah, and two midwives at the Pankese Health Centre, Safoaa Boateng and Elizabeth Krofa.
