Girls Flow Free Foundation, a charity organisation, has launched a far-reaching outreach programme seeking to eliminate “period poverty and stigma” around menstruating teenage girls living in deprived Ghanaian communities.

The programme aims to help educate young women and girls to manage their periods safely and with dignity without shame as well as empower them to build self-confidence and break the taboo around menstruation.

The Founder and Chairperson of Girls Flow Free Foundation, Mrs Sophia Acheampong, was speaking to the Ghana News Agency as Ghana joined the rest of the world to observe this year’s world Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD).

The international MHD is celebrated every year on May 28, and seeks to use to break silence, raise awareness and change negative social norms around menstrual hygiene management.

It was also a special platform used to engage decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyse action for menstrual hygiene management at global, national and local levels.

Poor menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of education on the matter, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the globe.

As a result, millions of women and girls are kept from reaching their full potential.

Mrs Acheampong said the Charity foundation has so far reached out to over 300 girls in two schools in deprived communities and would be distributing more sanitary pads to several girls on May 28.

“We organised our first outreach programme at the Denkyemuoso M/A Basic School in Kumasi, I led an interactive educational session on menstrual hygiene and girls who were present received free sanitary pads”.

She said the School was also given extra pads to keep for girls to access freely, adding: “Our next donation will be held at Nwamase JHS [Junior High School] on the 28 May 2019 which happens to be world menstrual hygiene day”. Studies conducted by WaterAid in 2012 showed that as a result of menstruation, 95 percent girls in Ghana sometimes miss school days.

The study further revealed that 48– 59 percent of girls in urban areas and about 90 percent of girls in peri-urban/rural areas felt shame during the menstrual period.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is a global advocacy platform that brings together the voices and actions of non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual hygiene management for women and girls.

Following increased global and national education, boys and girls are breaking taboos and learning about the menstrual cycle.

German-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), WASH United, initiated the MH Day in 2014.

It acts as the International Secretariat which coordinates the Day as well as manages an Alliance of more than 410 partner organisations.