Some 600 girls mainly from three communities within the Obuasi Municipality, Obuasi East, and Akrofuom Districts have so far been given free sanitary pads which will last for at least six months.

The donation was done by the Rotary Club of Obuasi in collaboration with Girls Shall Grow, a Non-Governmental Organization based in Obuasi to educate girls on menstrual hygiene and teenage pregnancy.

The gesture forms part of a declaration made by the Rotary International President, directing all clubs to make girl child empowerment their number one priority for 2021 and 2022.

The Past President of the Obuasi Rotary Club, Rotarian Sarwan Kumar who led the club to make the donations, emphasized the importance of supporting girls during periods of menstruation. He said the Club recognizes the challenges most girls go through during menstruation.

He said “in our quest to empower the girl child, we have decided to educate them on safe menstruation, and teenage pregnancy and also donate sanitary pads which they can use for the next six (6) months. We are optimistic that this will take some burden off them and their parents to enable them to focus more on their studies.”

The President-elect for Obuasi Rotary, Rotarian Godfrey Mwachande also reiterated that the Club will continue to offer support to girls during menstruation in a bid to ensure that communities beyond Obuasi, are covered.

Executive Director of Girls Shall Grow, an Obuasi-based NGO, Mrs. Louisa Amoah also lauded Rotarians in Ghana for the donation and also for constructing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools to support their course.

She said hitherto, girls were unable to manage their menstruation safely and hygienically due to the absence of proper WASH facilities.

She added that “through our advocacy, now we have seen WASH facilities being constructed in schools in Obuasi.”

Mrs. Cecilia Salifu, the Obuasi Municipal Girls Coordinator on her part proposed the provision of pad banks to make sanitary pads easily accessible to girls in schools.

She also underscored the importance of making sanitary pads available to girls who sometimes have to go through difficulties in observing safe menstruation.

She went on to commend efforts made by groups like the Rotary Club of Obuasi and Girls Shall Grow in empowering girls and providing free sanitary pads.

Rtn Delphine Esi Gborgblorvor, Director of Health for Obuasi East District also shared support for the exercise carried out by Rotarians in Obuasi.

She advocated for this project to be scaled up to cover more girls in our communities, especially those in schools.