A project to ensure girls and women in less privileged communities in the country have access to sanitary pads to enable them maintain proper menstrual hygiene has been launched in Accra.
The project, dubbed: “Pad for All” which is being implemented by Angeles Foundation and Repairer Foundation with sponsorship from Fay International Limited, a Ghanaian-owned pad producing company, was launched at Bukom in Accra on May 1, 2020.
The launch, which saw the distribution of sanitary pads to residents of Bukom, Mamprobi and New Mamprobi, was attended by Bukom-based sensational Ghanaian boxer, Braimah Kamoko popularly known as Bukom Banku.
Purpose
Speaking at the launch, the Founder of Angeles Foundation, Ms Kobi Hemaa Osisiadan-Bekoe, said the project was aimed at encouraging proper menstrual hygiene in less privileged communities in the country.
“The Pad for All project is an initiative to ensure that the less privileged girls and women in our society maintain personal hygiene during this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond”, she said.
Ms Osisiadan-Bekoe, who is a staunch advocate for Made-in-Ghana products, explained that many menstruating girls and women lacked access to basic materials for managing blood flow such as sanitary pads, hence the decision of her Foundation to step in.
She expressed the worry that many menstruating girls and women in deprived communities also lacked access to water and decent washrooms.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic. This even makes menstrual hygiene a more pressing concern. People will continue to menstruate during this outbreak and after this pandemic”, she noted.
She commended Fay International for their support towards the project.
Education
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Coordinator of Fay International, Mary Achieng Ojuka, led a team from the company to educate the beneficiaries on the need to adhere to proper menstrual hygiene.
She advised menstruating girls and women to bath regularly, saying “When you are on your period, you should keep your genitals clean.”
Encouragement
The Chief Executive Officer of Angeles Foundation, a boy-centered NGO, Boris Nimpong-Osisiadan encouraged males to support females to improve menstrual health and hygiene.
He said proper menstrual hygiene would not only benefit those who menstruate, but everyone in the larger society.
He pledged that his Foundation would continue to promote the interests of boys and girls.
Source: graphic.com.gh
