Dominase’s contribution to Menstrual Hygiene Celebration Week
One of our best contacts in Dominase, Nurse Mavis from the SDA Clinic, was invited to speak at a special event on 27th May as part of the country’s Menstrual Hygiene Celebration Week. She gave a talk alongside other experts to a large gathering of school students (both girls and boys) and explained Buriton’s locally-made, washable pads project.
The organisers of the event, which was supported by the Health Division of Ghana’s Cocoa Board and a large Japanese food trading company (ITOCHU), felt that the project was a very good idea and potentially worthy of consideration in other places.
As part of the same national initiative, the British High Commission hosted an event in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on the same day with Ghana’s Vice President as a principle guest as well as government officials and a wide range of partner organisations: to highlight the importance of ensuring that girls can attend school.
In recent years Buriton’s small ‘Village-to-Village’ charity link with the rural Dominase part of Ghana had identified that many families cannot access or afford expensive sanitary products, leading to some girls missing one week in every four of their teenage school career and potentially affecting their educational attainment, their confidence and self-esteem.
In 2023 a trial project at 2 of the 24 schools in the area utilising washable / reusable sanitary pads was therefore commenced. Close health and educational supervision and support about menstrual hygiene is provided by local health professionals from the village’s clinics and by ‘Girls Club Ghana’ (a small charity in Ghana) with whom links have been developed. All the pads are now being made by local seamstresses (to a detailed specification) and this is also helping with local employment and incomes. Money from Buriton pays for the materials for the products, a workbook to help the girls learn more about their periods and the inputs from Girls Club Ghana.
At the end of the current academic year there are plans to expand the project to two more schools after thoroughly testing the ideas at the two pilot schools. All the feedback from the girls, from the local clinics and from the teachers has been very positive in terms of effectiveness, comfort and hygiene as well as school attendances.
If the initiative continues to be successful, and if enough money can be raised in Buriton, it is hoped that the programme can gradually be run at all the Junior High Schools in the area – helping hundreds of girls every year.
