As Ghana joined the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service has been urged to adopt a widespread use of reusable sanitary pads and the integration of menstrual health into the education curriculum.
Lack of access to safe menstrual hygiene management facilities and supplies continues to remain a major health challenge, affecting women and girls of reproductive age, especially in deprived areas, a situation stakeholder wants to address with all seriousness.
According to various stakeholders in education who took part in the commemoration of the day, they acknowledged that the adoption of reusable sanitary pads will help preserve and prevent the indiscriminate disposal of waste into the environment.
He opined that it would help several girls who cannot afford disposable sanitary pads, practice safe menstrual hygiene.
The Eastern Regional School Health Education Programme Coordinator, Godfred Ofoe Caesar who made this call spoke to Citi News on the sidelines of the distribution of free sanitary pads to over 300 adolescent girls in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality by Pencils of Promise and Fidelity Bank.
“I am advocating for reusable sanitary pads because currently, we are aware that the cost of sanitary pads is so high that a number of girls including women are not even able to afford them. And so, some of them resort to the usage of other things in place of the pad and some boys also take advantage of that to get them some cash to get the pads. And then engage them in sexual activities meanwhile there are these reusable ones that when they get it they can use it for many years.”
“So, in place of the disposable ones they should learn how to sew the reusable sanitary pads and begin using it, wash it, dry it nicely and then iron it. And they can use it for five years and this will go a long way to help the girls in many diverse ways.”
He added, “Again, it goes a long way to save pollution in the environment because people do not dispose of the sanitary pads properly. And you know how long it takes for these things to be decomposed in the soil. So, if we turn to champion the usage of the reusable ones, it will lessen the effects of plastic and rubber pollution in the environment.”
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