Bolgatanga: Stakeholders at a forum in Bolgatanga have called for sustainable menstrual health solutions at all levels in the face of climate change to uphold dignity and build resilience among girls and young women. They stressed the urgent need to link menstrual health to broader issues such as climate change, access to water and sanitation, and girls’ rights to education and dignity, as part of efforts to build a more inclusive and equitable society.
According to Ghana News Agency, the call was made by representatives from state institutions, civil society organisations, schools, and youth groups at a forum to mark this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day, held on the theme: ‘Menstrual Health and Climate Action: Making the Pad Policy Work for Every Girl.’ The event was organised by the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) in collaboration with the consortium implementing the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) Project.
The SHARE Project is a five-year initiative (2021-2026) funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Right to Play, WaterAid Ghana, the Forum for African Women Educationalists Ghana (FAWE Ghana), and FHI360. It aims to promote gender equality and improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescent girls and young women.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Richard Matey, Executive Director of GAYO, the Project Coordinator, Mr Benedict Fosu Arthur, called for increased grassroots action and the integration of menstrual health into climate adaptation strategies. ‘Menstruation should never be a reason a girl misses school, feels ashamed, or is denied her future. Yet for many girls, especially in northern Ghana, period poverty remains a silent crisis,’ he said.
‘At GAYO, we believe menstrual health is not just a matter of hygiene-it is about equity, resilience, and dignity. As climate change worsens resource scarcity, food insecurity, and water stress, especially in the Upper East Region, it is the poorest and most rural girls who are most affected,’ he added. Mr Arthur welcomed the government’s Free Sanitary Pad Policy but urged a comprehensive implementation of it.
He stressed the need for not only providing pads but also ensuring access to water, toilets, and proper sanitation facilities to truly promote menstrual equity. Speaking on behalf of the Country Director of WaterAid Ghana, Ms Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, the organisation’s Advocacy, Campaigns, and Inclusion Manager, Ms. Fauzia Aliu, described Menstrual Hygiene Day as ‘a collective call to action.’
‘The significance of today’s gathering goes beyond celebration. It is a call to ensure no girl misses school because of her period, to address the environmental impact of menstrual products, and to make sure the Free Sanitary Pad Initiative delivers real and lasting change,’ she said. Ms Aliu reaffirmed WaterAid Ghana’s commitment to advancing integrated approaches that connected Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), menstrual hygiene, and sexual and reproductive health services to promote inclusion and gender equity.
Madam Rita Abamah, Girl Child Officer for the Bongo District at the Ghana Education Service, announced that sanitary pads under the Free Sanitary Pad Initiative had arrived in the region and would soon be distributed to schools. She called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to ensure the success of the initiative and to enhance girls’ access to education.