About 700 school girls in Obuasi Municipality have received sanitary pads from Big Peiro Company and No Limit Charity Foundation to help improve menstrual hygiene.
Big Peiro Company limited, a tailing construction firm, in collaboration with No Limits Charity Organisation, an NGO, donated about 2,500 pads to mark this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
According to the donors, menstrual health is a fundamental aspect of human rights, dignity and public health, for which Menstrual Hygiene Day has been instituted to help break taboos and raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management.
Mr. Peter Armah Kpolly, Chief Executive Officer, stated that the sanitary pads are expected to bring relief to the school girls, who mostly encounter difficulties in accessing the pads during menstruation because of the cost.
The decision to join in donating the pads, he said, stems from the hardships that girls, especially those in school, go through during the periods of menstruation.
He noted that as an advocate for women empowerment, his company saw the need to collaborate with No Limit Charity Foundation to support school girls with the sanitary pads and thus improve upon attendance and avoid stigmatisation that leads to low self-confidence.
The CEO appealed to the government to consider supplying free sanitary pads in schools, adding that, once the government had demonstrated commitment to improve access to education through Free Senior High School, it can keep the girls in school by supplying the free pads to the girls.
Madam Rita Esionam Garglo, Chief Executive officer of No Limits Charity Foundation, also stressed on the challenges some school girls go through during menstruation.
According to her, access to sanitary pads, water and sharing of toilets is a major challenge for menstruating girls.
She said the reusable menstrual products, stained clothes and sanitation infrastructure is critical and commended Peiro Company limited for the collaboration saying the donation signifies the commitment of groups and individuals to see girls and women experience safe and hygienic menstruation.
She also pleaded with the government to intervene by making sanitary pads easily accessible to school girls to enhance hygienic menstruation.
Miss Judith Acquah, a student of Obuasi Senior High Technical School commended the two institutions for supporting them with sanitary pads.
He expressed their frustration over the cost of sanitary pads hampering clean and safe menstruation and urged the government for support for school girls.
