By Francis Cofie
Breman Benin (C/R), July 13, GNA- Edufirst Foundation, a non-governmental organisation based in the Central Region, has enlightened some basic school pupils on menstrual hygiene.
The Foundation also donated 500 sanitary pads to girls from Breman Benin Basic School in the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District.
The donation was to mitigate the distress situation the girls go through during their menstrual period since they could not afford to buy them.
Madam Florence Adjei, the District Health Nurse of the Breman Asikuma Health Directorate, who spoke with the Ghana News Agency, said the donation had come at an opportune time when some girls did not have access to sanitary pads to use during their menstruation periods, which he described as worrying.
She accused some farmers in the area who take advantage of girls from poor homes and abuse them because they could not afford sanitary pads and complained that the district topped the chart on teenage pregnancy in the Central Region, describing the situation as very disturbing.
Madam Adjei urged parents to prioritise the needs and education of their children, particularly girls than placing undue emphasis on attending social functions.
“The situation where some parents do not even know the sleeping places of their children with other parents condoning their stay with friends is condemnable,” she stated.
She said over 500 girls were impregnated and dropped out of school in 2022 in the district, a situation of immense concern to health workers.
“Parents, families and society as a whole owe it as a duty to let the pupils or children stay closer to their books and learn in order to become responsible adults in future,” she said.
Mr Robert Dugan, the Chief Executive Officer of Edufirst Foundation, appealed to the Government to remove taxes on sanitary pads to make them affordable for underprivileged girls in deprived communities.
Mr Dugan said: “The economic situation in most rural communities is relatively dire,” adding that, there was the need for government to subsidise the product to benefit the poor girls.
He called on the donor community, institutions and public-spirited individuals to support the Foundation to enable it to meet its objective to better the lot of rural communities.
The Foundation is currently sponsored by E.O. Boakye Trust Fund and individual donors and is committed to menstrual hygiene education and donation of sanitary pads to needy pupils in deprived communities among other social outreach objectives.
It is also setting its sight on promoting education and women empowerment, alleviating sexual abuse and sensitising inhabitants on climate change.
On the education front, the Foundation envisions supporting basic schools with computer and science laboratories which are challenges in many rural schools.
A handful of pupils interviewed appealed to relevant authorities to reduce the cost of sanitary pads to enable them to afford them and to prevent them from falling prey to men based on ‘period poverty.”
GNA