Sanitary Pad

Five Junior High Schools(­JHS) in the Obuasi Mu­nicipality have received large quantities of sanitary pads for distribution among girls in the schools.

Each of the girls,numbering about 1,000, was given five packs of the sanitary pads to cater for the rest of the months of the year.

The beneficiary schools were Sanso M/A JHS, Api­tikoko, Nyieaso A and B and Anyinam JHS.

The gesture falls under the Education Improvement Programme of the 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) of the AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mines.

Under the project, 10,000 sanitary pads would be distributed to schools in tbe Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East, this year.

Lack of access to sanitary products, clean water and appropriate facilities poses significant health risks and hampers girls ability to par­ticipate fully in education, work and social activities.

Speaking on behalf of the Senior Manager, Sustainabil­ity of the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, Emmanuel Baidoo, Ms. Mavis Nana Yaa Kyei, Social and Gender Superintendent, said as part of intiatives under the health pillar of the SEDP, the mining company, since 2022, part­nered witg GIZ to commit to donating sanitary pads to JHS in the Obuasi Municipality and Obuasi East.

With the support of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Company, he said, would contribute to ending period poverty by providing girls with the nec­essary resources to manage their menstruation effective­ly.

“By addressing period poverty, we can ensure that girls can attend school regu­larly,without fear or shame. Education is a powerful tool for empowerment and social change and every girl deserves the opportunity to pursue her dreams without being held back by something as natural as menstruation,” he said.

According to the Sustain­ability Manager,together with the GES and GHS, they had begun a sensitisation cam­paign to raise awareness of menstrual hygiene in schools such that male students were being educated to become supportive of their female colleagues by taking them through menstruation pro­cess and the effects it has on their female classmates.

Under water and sanitation programme, he said, the SEDP has been providing for the construction of water systems to address the chal­lenges of accessing potable water across communities in which the mining company operated.

This, he said, “helps to mitigate many of the chal­lenges our women and girls go through during menstrual period”.

Mrs.Cecilia Salifu, Assistant Director in-charge of girls ed­ucation, Obuasi Municipality, said providing them with free sanitary pads “is a wake-up call of the importance of such to girls.

And, she commended An­gloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine for the gesture.

 From Kingsley E. Hope, Obuasi