Give a sanitary pad to keep a girl in Ghana in Sch

It has been almost a year since we distributed reusable sanitary pads to girls in Goripie T.I Junior High School. We did a follow-up to assess the impact of this initiative. From our engagement with the girls, we gathered that the project has been impactful. According to most of them, the pads are easy and comfortable to use and wash for reuse. They added that they still use the pads since they are still in good condition. They also thanked us for the menstrual hygiene education that we gave them, which has since improved the way they manage their periods. In addition, many of them have reported to be more confident in themselves about their periods because they now understand that it is a natural and normal thing that all girls and women experience.

We also took the time to engage with the boys to assess if there has been a mindset shift regarding their views on menstruation since our project. We were amazed at how much they have improved. One of them stated that, "I now understand that menstruation is a natural thing for girls and women and it's no fault of them that they have to mensurate every month, all we can do is to support them during this period ".

According to the teachers, the school environment has become stigma free and safe for girls since both boys and girls now have a good understanding of menstruation. They appreciated the team for bringing such an impactful initiative to them and appeal that we continue to bring more of these projects to the school.

As part of efforts to promote Menstrual Health among girls, we brought together over 50 Queen mothers from  about 10 districts to engage them on general issues affecting girls in their various districts and communities. One of which includes Menstrual Health. We engaged them on the topic of menstruation and the role they need to play to address stigma and period shaming in their communities. We also explored ways of providing sustainable options or menstrual products for girls to properly manage their periods.

Among the topics we also delved in , includd teenage pregnancy and child marriage. We looked at the drivers of teenage pregnancy and child marriage and how to address them and the roles they need to play as Queen mothers. At the end of the engagement,  the queen mothers were super excited because according to them, they have become empowered to be able to address these unique challenges that girls in their communities face. We are positive that this engagement will go a long way to not only address period related issues among girls but will also tremendously minimize teenage pregnancy and child marriage across the various communities in the Upper West region.