Empowering adolescent girls with the resources they need to manage their periods safely

It is this power and confidence that we seek adolescent girls and all menstruators to embrace, knowing that menstruation is a normal occurrence. Thus, in efforts to empower young girls and break the stigma associated with menstruation, She Inspires Africa, with support from Home and Lands Consult, and in partnership with Women of Dignity Alliance to organize a menstrual health and hygiene workshop for adolescent girls in the Socco HH Basic school at Mamprobi. The workshop aimed to provide vital information about their periods.

Founder of She Inspires Africa, Ophelia Osei, in an address encouraged the young girls to open up on issues relating to their periods and reproductive health. “I want all menstruators to embrace this natural process and own it without shame nor stigma. It is in this strength we derive from our supposed weakness that can aid us to fight our common enemy ‘period poverty’” She noted.

Queen mother of Mamprobi Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council, Naa Obeye Dromo 1, applauded the initiative, and encouraged the girls to pay critical attention to information on their health. Naa Dromo highlighted that, the adolescent unit of the Mamprobi polyclinic is a great place to visit for vital information on all their reproductive health needs. She urged them to frequent the unit because; it is a safe and friendly place with tailored services to meet their health needs.

Estate and Resource Officer with Land and Homes Consult, Jacobbinah Adu-Gymafi, encouraged the girls to focus on their academics and not only break barriers associated with menstruation but also in choosing career paths. “Challenge yourselves and venture into fields that are considered to be dominated by men. You are capable of excelling in professions like engineering, real estate, architecture etc. Don’t limit yourselves,” She urged.

Facilitating an interactive training session on menstrual health and hygiene, Alice Obeng of the adolescent unit of the Mamprobi polyclinic took the girls through a range of topics including: pre-menstrual symptoms, personal and menstrual hygiene, proper disposal of sanitary pads among others. She urged them to spread the message and encouraged their friends to practice proper personal hygiene, and most importantly to stop disposing their sanitary pads in the sea. This she said is not only unhygienic but breeds another form of pollution and a health risk.

A Principal Nursing Officer – Madam Helena Sowah, demonstrated to the girls how to properly fix and take off their sanitary pads without having to attract any form of infection and period accidents. She also clarified some fears and misconceptions by the girls. She however, entreated the girls to focus on their studies and abstain from pre-marital sex to avoid teenage pregnancy.

The girls could not hide their joy and pleaded with the organizers to make the gesture a monthly thing, as this will be a great relief to them and their parents and most essentially keep them in school even at that time of the month.

The interaction with these girls revealed some gaps adolescents face in accessing accurate information and the needed products to manage their periods comfortably. The conversation on ending period poverty will however continue even after today till sanitary pads becomes a priority just like the pen is to every student. Ophelia noted.

She expressed her profound gratitude to Land and Homes Consult, Women of Dignity Alliance, Naa Obeye Dromo 1 and her team, Magdalena Wolter, Mr. Jeorge Wilson Kingson of ArtCraft Media Consult, Mr. Richard Osei, Mr. Augustine Ackah, Mr. Derrick Botsyoe of Media Alliance in Tobacco Control and Health (MATCOH), volunteers of She Inspires Africa, and everyone who supported the campaign in diverse ways.

Ghana News Desk