School Girls In Sunyani West Receive Free Reusable Sanitary Pads from YALI Alumni Ghana.
In a quest to help adolescent school girl’s manage their menstrual hygiene properly, YALI Alumni Association of Ghana has distributed reusable sanitary pads to some 16 selected basic and senior high schools in the Sunyani West Municipality in the Bono Region.
As part of the exercise, the girls were taken through menstrual hygiene management, sexual reproductive education, ways to fight period stigma and steps on how to put on their pads.
Speaking on the sidelines of the exercise, YALI National President, Dr. Gideon Baah Jnr. said that the distribution was to assist girls who may be compelled to use old clothes during menstruation due to the high cost of sanitary pads to have a long-lasting products to manage their period.
According to him, YALI as a responsive youth leadership group is trying to make critical sanitary products available to young girls across the country to help them maintain a good menstrual health.
‘‘We are distributing these reusable sanitary pads to them [school girls] so that those who cannot afford sanitary pads during their periods can use one of the reusable pads that can last for at least 6 months,’’ he stated.
Addressing the school girls, Queen Mother of Odumase Traditional Council 1, Nana Yaa Adansi Poduo II, advised adolescent girls to maintain hygienic menstrual practices like salving and cleaning their genital areas every time, daily baths and properly using sanitary pads during menstrual flows.
Nana Yaa Adansi noted that social media if not carefully accessed could be a bad influence for young girls who have started menstruation.
‘‘As young girls, take notice of the date your menstrual flow starts so you can prepare adequately for it. Respect and obey your parents and teachers. Keep working hard to realize your dreams and I will add that, stay away from social media because it may lead you to engage yourself in immoral acts,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, Founder and CEO of Eco-me Africa, Amdiya Abdul Latif said her organization is into the production of reusable sanitary pads and has decided to support the girls with 200 pads which can last for, at least six months to enable them achieve good and dignifying menstrual health to keep them in school.
She however appealed for government’s support to help local industries expand their production capacity to meet local demand.
‘‘We are encouraging the government to support local initiatives that are coming up with suitable solutions to menstrual health challenges. We will appeal to the government to assist us purchase the raw material and equipment to allow us to produce the reusable sanitary pads in large scale and at the same time create employment for women because currently, Ghana imports reusable sanitary pads that are made in other Africa countries,’’ she noted.
