Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Breaking News in Ghana
Free menstrual cups for Asokore SDA schoolgirls
It was excitement for female pupils and students of the SDA Demonstration ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Schools at Asokore near Koforidua in the New Juaben North Municipality in the Eastern Region.
This is because a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the US, 'Could You?’ provided free menstrual cups to 100 school girls to help them menstruate hygienically.
Advertisement
Menstrual cup
The menstrual cup can be emptied and washed after each menstruation period and re-used over a period of time, specifically up to 10 years before discarding it.
The specially designed menstrual cup, which is being used in other African countries, will help to contain menstrual blood for menstruating schoolgirls.
It is also a substitute to the ordinary menstrual pad, often worn by females which enables them to attend classes regularly during their menstrual periods.
The girls were excited because they would no longer leave the classrooms unexpectedly for fear of soiling themselves when they were menstruating.
They were also in a joyful mood because they would always be in classrooms to learn when menstruating.
Reliance on men
Presenting the menstrual cups to the girls on the school's premises, a nurse, who is also a volunteer of the NGO, Rita Precious Amenuvor, said because parents of the girls could not afford to provide their daughters with menstrual pads, the girls normally relied solely on young men for the items and at the end they became pregnant and dropped out of school.
According to her, the exercise was to prevent teenage pregnancy among school girls and urged the beneficiary girls to always rely on the menstrual cup due to its benefits.
For his part, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Voice of Zongo Communities in Ghana, Dr Abdul Mannan Mustapha Waru, told the schoolgirls not to consider menstruation as a curse since it was natural for females to undergo it.
He was worried that schoolgirls were unable to stay in class due to their monthly menstruation, adding that his outfit was hopeful that no schoolgirl would stop going to school because of menstruation.
Sad situation
The Headteacher of the SDA Demonstration 'A' School, Michael Amoah, told the Daily Graphic that it was pathetic for menstruating girls to leave the school without even notifying the teachers and that the menstrual cup would end such sad situations in the school.
Educating the girls on the menstrual cup, Mr Amoah said it would go a long way to help the girls to overcome menstrual problems that had always negatively affected them in the course of teaching and learning.
Mr Amoah indicated that although female teachers normally had menstrual pads in their bags, the girls felt shy to approach them for the pads when in their menstrual periods.