Madam Abigail Adjei; Executive Director of Smart Women Alliance (SWA) has appealed to the government and producers of sanitary products to find innovative ways of making the products available and affordable to all females of menstruating age.
She lamented the exorbitant cost of sanitary products and spoke against taxation of sanitary products. “We want to use this opportunity to appeal to the government to take all forms of taxes off sanitary products to make them affordable and available to menstruating women”, she said in an interview with rawgist.com.
She was speaking on the sidelines of an event her organization held at the Parkoso cluster of schools to mark world Menstrual Health Day Tuesday 28th May, 2024.
Her organization; Smart Women Alliance (SWA) a non-profit organization focused on female Reproductive Health Tuesday climaxed a month-long menstrual health campaign at the Parkoso cluster of schools in the Ashanti region.
SWA declared the month of may “Menstrual Health Month” during which period they held a number of engagements on radio stations and with schools and a church.
During the engagements, resource persons with SWA touched on various issues bothering on stigma, unavailability or inability of menstruating ladies to afford menstrual products, and issues of menstruation-related hygiene.
Madam Abigail Adjei, explained what menstruation is, signs that occur prior to menstruation and also advised them on when to visit a doctor with menstruation-related issues.
“If the flow is very heavy, or too scanty, or takes too long or too short, you should see a medical doctor. If you have painful menstruation also known as dysmenorrhoea, there is the need to see a doctor” she advised. She also advised them saying “do not allow anyone to make you feel bad over menstrual issues”.
She advised teachers to pay particular attention to female students of menstruating age and help them remain confident in the face of menstruation and stigma.
For her part, Madam Grace Bermah; another resource person spoke about hygiene and the various types of products available to menstruating ladies.
The students had the opportunity to ask questions and were excited to get responses.
Call to action
Madam Abigail Adjei called on organizations, groups, philanthropists to support the quest of Smart Women Alliance by donating sanitary products for onward distribution to various schools, orphanages, and other vulnerable groups.
About Menstrual Hygiene Day
28 May every year is marked across the world as World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
The theme for this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day is “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld.”
The day is an opportunity to highlight issues surrounding menstruation such as menstrual care, hygiene, stigma and difficulty accessing menstrual products.
Access to menstrual products, safe, hygienic spaces in which to use them, and the right to manage menstruation without shame or stigma, is essential for anyone who menstruates. But for too many, that’s not the reality.
Smart Women Alliance will be visiting a number of basic schools on the 28th to educate them on Menstrual health to commemorate the day.
About Smart Women Alliance (SWA)
Smart Women Alliance (SWA) is a Ghana-based non-profit organization that champions the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals with a special focus on the wellbeing of Women, Children and the Aged.
Contact Persons
Ms. Abigail Adjei (Executive Director) 0242078713
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