Girls Flow Free Foundation to eliminate the taboo around menstruation

General News on Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-05-29

Girls Flow Free Foundation, a charitable organization, launched a major program to eliminate "poverty and stigma of the times" around teenage girls living in disadvantaged Ghanaian communities.

The program aims to educate young women and girls to manage their rules safely and with dignity, without shame, while allowing them to build self-confidence and break the taboo surrounding menstruation.

Sophia Acheampong, founder and president of the Girls Flow Free Foundation, spoke to the Ghana News Agency as Ghana joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Mental Hygiene Day (MHD) .

MHD International is celebrated every year on May 28 and seeks to break the silence, raise awareness and change negative social norms related to menstrual hygiene management.

It was also a special platform used to motivate policymakers to increase political priority and catalyze action for menstrual hygiene management at the global, national and local levels.

Poor menstrual hygiene caused by lack of education in this area, persistent taboos and stigma, limited access to menstrual hygiene products and poor sanitation facilities jeopardize educational opportunities, of health and the general social status of women and girls in the world.

As a result, millions of women and girls can not reach their full potential.

Ms. Acheampong said the charitable foundation had already contacted more than 300 girls in two schools in disadvantaged communities and that she would distribute more sanitary towels to several girls on May 28th.

"We organized our first awareness program at Denkyemuoso M / A Basic School in Kumasi. I hosted an interactive educational session on menstrual hygiene and present girls received free sanitary napkins. "

She added that the school had also received additional tablets that girls could freely consult, adding, "Our next donation will be to Nwamase JHS. [Junior High School] May 28, 2019, World Day of Menstrual Hygiene ". Studies conducted by WaterAid in 2012 showed that because of menstruation, in Ghana, 95% of girls sometimes miss school days.

The study also found 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-profit organizations, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media. to promote good menstrual hygiene management for women and girls.

After increased global and national education, boys and girls break taboos and learn the menstrual cycle.

WASH United, a non-governmental organization based in Germany, launched Mental Health Day in 2014.

It serves as the international secretariat that coordinates the Day and manages an alliance of more than 410 partner organizations.