By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Oct 18, GNA – Availability and access to water is a key resource required in ensuring good menstrual hygiene among girls and women, Ms. Charlotte Akwaah-Adjei, Head of Capacity Building, GAMA/GKMA Sanitation and Water Project (SWP), has observed.
She pointed out that good menstrual hygiene management played a fundamental role in enabling girls and women to reach their full potential.
Lack of one of the key indicators such as water, could compromise the menstrual health of women and girls.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, she said: “Water is life for women and especially children.
“Water is essential and when girls are menstruating, they are supposed to bathe twice daily, so if they live in communities where there is no water, that aspect of the management will be a problem for them.
She explained that one of the components of the GAMA/GKMA SWP was institutional strengthening and capacity development, which critically looked at menstrual hygiene management for adolescent girls and women in schools and communities and more importantly, girls with special needs.
At the institutional level, the project provided changing rooms for girls where there is enough water to wash their hands and clean themselves up.
Ms. Akwaah-Adjei said in the last three and half years, the project had provided about 120 water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities for institutions within the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA).
She said issues of menstruation must be taken seriously, adding that, starting early menstrual education was best as some girls had their first menarche at age eight.
A World Bank context cited that on a given day, more than 300 million women worldwide are menstruating.
In total, an estimated 500 million lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management.
Ms. Akwaah-Adjei said the GAMA/GKMA SWP was not relenting in expanding its menstrual educational tentacles and would continue strengthening institutions in the WASH sector to be able to deliver policies and achieve the global goal of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.
The GAMA/GKMA SWP is a World Bank grant to support the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to increase access for improved sanitation and water supply in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and GKMA.
GNA