By Dominic Antwi Agyei
Kwadaso (Ash), Sept. 8, GNA – Dependable Ladies, a group of women in the Kwadaso Municipality, has distributed some sanitary pads to over 400 schoolgirls in Kwadaso, in the Ashanti Region.
The intervention, according to the group, is to help the teenage girls maintain good personal hygiene during menstruation and encourage them to stay in school during that period.
The group, which seeks to empower and support needy children, women and young girls in the Municipality, also used the occasion to educate the girls on reproductive health.
Beneficiaries included girls from educational institutions such as Prempeh Basic, Asuoyeboah M/A Junior High School (JHS), Kwadaso Seventh Day Adventist JHS, Nyankyerenease JHS, Apatrapa JHS, Techiman JHS, Denkyemuos JHS, Beposo JHS, among others.
Mrs Grace Boadu, the leader of the group, explained that menstrual hygiene management was a very important aspect in the life of girls and women.
However, management of such a reproductive cycle was quite challenging for menstruating girls, especially for those in deprived communities.
She said most girls missed school activities when they were menstruating because they could not afford or get access to sanitary pads.
“Due to non-availability of pads, a lot of girls feel uncomfortable when they are in their menstrual period,” the Dependable ladies leader observed, adding that, most often, these girls were at risk of infection from using unhygienic products such as rags, toilet rolls, among others.
Mrs Boadu pointed out that the distribution of sanitary pads and education on reproductive health were critical in helping to build the confidence of the girl-child.
According to her, the cost and tariffs on sanitary pads in the country was high, which made it difficult for teenagers to buy them.
The leader gave an assurance that the group would continue to engage in such gestures and sensitisation of girls on their sexual lives to enable them to make informed decisions on reproductive health.
Mrs Boadu encouraged the girls to always bath twice and regularly change their sanitary pads to help avoid infections.
She called for a collective effort between parents, traditional leaders and stakeholders to help encourage and support girl child education, as well as guide and counsel them from engaging in sexual activities that may lead to teenage pregnancy and its challenges.
GNA