PPAG volunteers interacting with staff
PLAN PARENTHOOD Association of Ghana (PPAG), a reproductive health organization has begun a pilot project in basic schools to promote menstrual hygiene and help girls stay in school during their periods.
The project dubbed, ‘Pad Bank’ will provide dispensable machines filled with menstrual pads in basic schools for teenage girls.
Project Assistant, Owurani Charles Oduro, explained that the initiative is in collaboration with the School Health Educational Programme (SHEP) under the Ghana Education Service (GES) in some selected basic schools in the Sunyani Municipality.
This came to light during a visit by some volunteers of the association to the PPAG Bono branch.
According to him, staff of the facility has noticed with concern how poverty is forcing girls into sexual exploitation by men in order to get funds to buy sanitary pads.
“So, instead of giving the girls one or two pads for a year, we came up with something impactful throughout the year, hence the Pad Bank.
We solicit and mobilize sanitary pads which are placed in pad dispensers for teenage girls to access by putting in just 50ps,” he said.
“We are currently piloting it in six schools in the Sunyani Municipality including Presby Cluster of Schools, Ridge, Sacred Heart, South Ridge, SDA, and Atronie Methodist JHS,” he added.
According to him the schools were selected based on research findings which showed high girls’ absentism, and teenage pregnancy.
FROM Daniel Y. Dayee, Sunyani