Stay in school menstrual scheme kicks off

An initiative to enable female students to remain in school during their menstrual periods has kick-started at the Amasaman Cluster of schools in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region.

Also involved in the pilot scheme is the School for the Blind at Akropong in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region.

Hope for Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with funding from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is spearheading the programme.

It is to help address challenges confronting female schoolchildren and students to be in school when in their menstrual periods.

Myth

The programme is also to address the myth surrounding menstrual periods, particularly among schoolchildren and students, so that they do not drop out from school.

The Programmes Manager of the foundation, Vicentia Koranteng Asante, who launched the initiative simultaneously on the premises of the two schools last Friday, distributed 1,000 reusable menstrual pads made from textile to the schoolchildren.

Mrs Asante pointed out that no female student should drop out of school because of their menstrual periods.

To enable the schoolchildren and students to sew their own menstrual pads from textiles, Mrs Asante said the foundation had already trained tailors at Amasaman who had also started training them to produce the pads.

The interesting aspect of it all, Mrs Asante noted was that the boys in the schools had also joined the programme to learn and sew the reusable menstrual pads made from textiles.

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

Church's gesture

The Humanitarian Specialist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Ezra Taft Otoo, said the church was interested in taking care of the needs of people, especially girls from poor homes unable to afford menstrual pads.

He said the church's humanitarian division also supported the education and health needs of people.

According to Mr Otoo, that was why his outfit decided to team up with Hope for Africa to provide vulnerable schoolgirls and students with menstrual pads and at the same time teach them how to sew the pads.

Poor homes

For her part, the Girl Child Officer of the Ga West Education Directorate, Salome Awuah Yeboah, said some of the girls came from poor homes and as such could not afford to purchase menstrual pads.

Such girls, she said, therefore, resorted to the use of dirty clothes and pampers when in their monthly flow with the possibility of being infected with diseases.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic shortly after the programme, Caring Sika Darfour, a final-year student of Amasaman M/A JHS, said the reusable pads had helped her a lot because hitherto she had to buy sanitary pads at a cost of GH¢20 per month.

Another JHS three student of the school, Deniza Avouyi, who also used the reusable menstrual pad, said she always felt comfortable with it and also did not soil herself like when using the ordinary menstrual pad.

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