High Cost Of Sanitary Pads Affecting Academic Performance – Teacher Worried
Nsuatre, Monday, May 29, 2023
The need for period friendly facilities in organizations and institutions for adolescent girls and women to access during menstrual periods is critical, Mrs. Harriet Osei-Amoah Owusu, a philanthropist and a native of the Bono region has observed.
She therefore called for collective and committed effort towards ending Period Poverty and menstruation stigmatization.
Mrs Osei-Amoah Owusu was speaking in an interview with thefourlens.com at Nsuatre, in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono region.
It was after donating 1,752 pieces of sanitary pads worth over Ghc23,000.00 to more than 900 SHS girls in the Bono and Ahafo regions as contribution to help them stay in school throughout the academic year.
The beneficiaries were students girls of Acherensua and Sacred Heart Senior High Schools and each girl received three pieces.
Mrs. Osei-Amoah Owusu observed that period poverty and period stigmatization are some of the major factors negatively affecting academic works and excellence amongst young girls.
She stated as it is normal and accepted for a young boy to grow bear, menstruation is also a normal thing and ought to be stigmatization free.
Mrs. Osei-Amoah Owusu explained that the school girl menstruating in an unfavourable environment and without sanitary pads to keep herself loses self confidence to be in the classroom or go closer to people.
Her outfit is therefore doing all they could to ensure Period Poverty and Stigmatization become things of the past, she said.
In further interview, Mr. Alexander Badu, a teacher affirmed with worries that some girls absent themselves from school during menstruation period.
“Sometimes, others endure to come to school within the period but because they can not afford to buy sanitary pads, they don’t have the peace of mind to concentrate on class activities”.
The situation together with sometimes the pains they go through always affect their academic performance.
Adoma Cristabel, a beneficiary commended the effort of Mrs. Osei-Amoah Owusu, saying, “sometimes my only option is the use of rag because sanitary pads are expensive and unaffordable”.
Writer’s email: ttchrietoph1@gmail.com