On 22nd September, 2023, EWEF- Ghana and Dr. Nadia Landers Denis of the All- Star Learning Academy, USA with support from Eco Me Africa, embarked on a menstrual hygiene management and pad donation exercise in Kurofa community within Asante Akim South, Ghana. The event targeted 100 schoolgirls within the menstruation gap.
The purpose of the event was to offer menstrual hygiene management education and provide sanitary pads, while introducing other management options to socially and economically disadvantaged girls in the community.
The team comprising of Dr. Nadia Landers Denis, Ms. Ohenewaa Constance Ankomah, Executive Director – EWEF, Ms. Emmanuella Opoku Acheampong, Director for Communications- EWEF had a media interview at Dua Pa FM in Konongo to create awareness on the activities that have been planned within project iMenstruate, and to solicit the support of the public to make the event impactful.
Ms. Ohenewaa Constance Ankoma presented the purpose of gathering. She introduced the concept of the event as a project which sought mainly to provide menstrual hygiene management education to girls and in addition support with menstrual kit donations. She introduced the reusable pads as an alternative product for managing menstruation.
Dr. Nadia Landers Denis delivered a speech titled, “Rising above your circumstances to achieve your life goals”. In the speech, she highlighted five (5) transformational processes through which girls can realize their life goals and attain success. Dr. Nadia informed participants on the need to acknowledge their circumstances, define their goals, recognize the power of mindset, persistence and resilience and lastly, seek support and resources. She gave a personal account of her life through these stages as a form of empowerment for girls present at the event.
Madam Dora of Eco Me Africa, a local manufacturer of reusable sanitary pads in Ghana, sensitized the girls on proper usage of the product. She educated girls on an easy cleaning technique for the product and advised that the pad is dried with enough sunlight to ensure maximum hygiene. Madam Dora added that, the product had a useful lifespan of up to a year if treated hygienic.
Disposable and reusable sanitary pads were distributed to 200 girls within the menstruation gap after the education from Eco Me Africa
Various invited guests advised young girls to take their education seriously and emulate remarkable role models to pave the path to a promising future.
Remarks
Project iMenstruate with the All-Star Learning Academy, Eco Me Africa was an educative and empowering session, which promoted and instilled a renewed sense of determination to succeed among young girls in Kurofa Community within Asante Akim South. Girls were enthused with the reusable option for menstrual hygiene management, and expressed willingness to switch to a more sustainable way of managing menstruation.
