Stakeholders of Asante Akim cannot describe their excitement at the impact being made in the lives of Adolescent Girls especially girls living with some forms of disability in the Municipalities. These girls are often unreached with initiatives that could foster their development in the society and tend to have difficulties accessing vital sexual and reproductive education and services in their communities and within institutions.
On Tuesday, 28th May, 2024 Erudite Women’s Empowerment Foundation with funding support from African Women’s Development Fund and DCI-Ghana under the She Leads project carried out a sexual and reproductive health outreach for 150 girls with disabilities in commemoration of this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day. The activity climaxed the EAGDIS Project which seeks to empower adolescent girls with disabilities for an improved access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services.
The outreach aimed at providing access to SRH and Menstrual Hygiene management education, kits and services, create a safe space for girls to express their needs, and also promote peer networking by bringing together 150 adolescent girls living with disability.
Executive Director- EWEF delivering her opening remark
Mrs. Constance Ohenewaa Opoku Gyasi in her remarks highlighted the significance of the theme: “Together for a period friendly world”, stating that there is a need for collective support for the girlchild’s wellbeing especially for girls living with some forms of disability. She emphasized the need for measures to be put in place by state actors to ensure that sanitary items are made much affordable for girls as menstruation is not an optional phenomenon for the girl but a biological one that is experienced by default by all girls, in which girls living with disability are not an exception.
She encouraged parents of girls living with disabilities to encourage their girls and allow them to access education and socialize within the community. And advised that community members do not stigmatize these girls in their attempt to associate with them. The outreach attracted partnerships from the Ecosystem, among which were; Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, All- Star Learning Academy-USA, Municipal Assembly, Adesua Foundation, and Awuraba Foundation. Present at the outreach were Traditional and Religious Leaders, President of Persons Living with Disability Association- Asante Akim,Healthcare Providers, Education Officers, Male Champions and EAGDIS Change Ambassadors.
Representatives of the Asante Akim Central Ghana Health Service Directorate took participants through education and awareness creation cervical cancer and its prevention, proper menstrual hygiene management. Girls asked questions that bothered them on both topics after which there was a general screening and pad donation exercise.Cindy, a 16 year-old girl with hearing impairment expressed her excitement at gaining such knowledge about her menstrual cycle and management and shared how confident she feels about managing her menstruation going forward.
Much gratitude goes out to our sponsors, AWDF and DCI- Ghana under the She Leads project, as well as partners and the entire public for continuing to cause massive changes and creating impact in the lives of girls within Asante Akim through EWEF. Cindy among 150 girls living with disability have benefited from your kindness and been empowered to access SRH education while developing their confidence to lead the change they wish to see