The Executive Director of Youth Alliance for Development, Mr. Ali Tanti Robert is appealing to government and major stakeholders in the educational sector including development partners to consider providing free sanitary materials to final year girls who will spend the rest of their high school duration under strict Covid 19 protocol restrictions.
This he asserts will contribute to ending period poverty which is often worsened by stigma making it difficult to practice optimal hygiene. To him this is very critical because despite the difficulty the global pandemic has brought, menstrual calendars are not on hold. He believes that if sanitary materials are inadequate, it can lead to a situation where some girls may be forced to use unsafe and unhygienic products such as pieces of cloth which can have serious health implication and even affect their performance in the WASSCE. His call is also to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene management plays in enabling girls to reach their full academic potential.
Commenting on the re-opening of schools by government, he appealed to parents and teachers to exhibit maximum cooperation by obeying the directives from government and the World Health Organization.
Several studies across low- and middle-income countries have reported that more than 50% of girls have inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Management, with higher proportions reported in rural areas. More than half of girls in lower- and middle-income countries lack access to basic menstrual hygiene needs such as sanitary pads, soap and water, or lavatories to change, clean, or dispose of these absorbents. In most developing countries, especially in rural setting, girls and young women are most affected since they do not have access and knowledge of the different types of modern sanitary wear
