The Ghanavi Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to promoting educational equality in Ghana, has donated 1,280 packs of sanitary pads worth more than GHC10,000 to schoolgirls in the Ketu South municipality of the Volta Region.

The donations, which formed part of the organization’s annual PeriodAid Project were made in partnership with the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dzifa Abla Gomashie on World Menstrual Health and Day on May 28, 2024.

The founder of the NGO, Helen Selorm Wohoyie, who is also a PhD student at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, commended Senco Global Developers Ltd., a real estate development company in Ghana, and Coupons Ghana, owners of a website that helps Ghanaian businesses generate leads through free online promotions, for sponsoring this year's project.

She also expressed gratitude to individuals who continue to donate cash towards the annual initiative, emphasizing that their generous contributions are significantly empowering young girls to remain in school.

Selorm additionally encouraged Ghanaian men to be reasonable and support adolescent girls who approach them for financial assistance in purchasing sanitary towels to manage their period blood, rather than exploiting their vulnerability.

"The shameful phenomenon of sex-for-pads has been found to devastate the educational opportunities of girls, resulting in many of them becoming pregnant and eventually dropping out of school. It is imperative that men step up to support these young women rather than contributing to the destruction of their futures," she stated.

She stressed the need for the government of Ghana to allocate resources for research on menstruation to inform policy responses to the multiple challenges that young females and premenopausal women face as a result of this natural occurrence.

Speaking at the event, Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, also called on the government to honour its promise to scrap taxes on sanitary products as advocacy intensifies on menstrual hygiene issues.

“Even as we appreciate the removal of taxes on raw materials for companies that produce sanitary towels in Ghana, I dare say it is woefully inadequate,” she said.

“There are only about three companies currently producing and they do not have the capacity to produce for the whole country. I believe if our government can consider giving tax exemptions to about 42 companies under the 1D1F then our government can remove taxes off our blood. We appeal to government and parliament to take a second look at the policies and tax regimes which will be more gender-sensitive,” the MP added.

She also advised women, particularly girls, to openly discuss menstrual hygiene issues, as treating menstruation as a taboo has resulted in insufficient menstrual health and hygiene knowledge.