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Demystifying menstruation and empowering girls – Nana Ama Adutwumwaa’s journey
Five years ago, Nana Ama Adutwumwaa started a journey to demystify menstruation and empower young girls.
With her “Touching the Lives of Girls Foundation” the focus was to spearhead a campaign to demystify the “taboos” surrounding menstruation and also provide sanitary towels to young girls.
Her passion for feminine hygiene issues was borne out of a personal experience she encountered a few years before starting her advocacy.
She recounts that she nearly lost her live following a severe pelvic infection which spread to her ovaries.
According to doctors who performed surgeries on her, the growth was a result of years of improper hygiene practices and so when she recovered she started the advocacy to share her journey while preaching proper hygiene practices.
As the foundation marks its fifth anniversary this year, Ms Adutwumwaa says she is grateful to the partners who have supported her, traditional leaders and opinion leaders for their support and contributions and schools across the country for opening their doors
“I have lost count of the number of schools and communities we have visited within this five-year period but the feedback and connection we have created with the girls, teachers and community leaders is amazing. “she said.
She said her outfit did not only embark on these campaigns on May 28 when World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed but organises talks throughout the year saying, “In May we join the world to mark the day but the topic is a very relevant one which must be discussed all year round. This is why we continue to educate girls especially in schools out of Accra on the importance of proper hygiene.”
To make the campaign effective, Ms Adutwumwaa includes traditional leaders and other opinion leaders from different religious backgrounds to add their voice to the campaign.
She said they have chosen this approach because most of the taboos are deep rooted in certain cultures and religious settings and getting the leaders involved is a way of ensuring that the whole community is involved in the change the foundation wants to see.
Also, although the campaign is targeted at young girls, male students and teachers are not excluded. They are also involved in the education so they understand that menstruation is a natural occurrence
“In some rural areas, there are days some girls menstruating refuse to go to school because they are shy of soiling themselves and being ridiculed by their male classmates. We involve the boys so they do not make fun of girls who accidentally soil themselves. Some of these girls also cannot confide in their parents or caregivers when they start menstruating and it is the teachers who they speak to. This is one of the reasons we include the male teachers so they can guide the girls if need be, “she explained.
Ms Adutwumwaa said till date, some girls hide their menarche (first menstrual period) from their mothers or guardians till they are caught with blood stains.
Most of them therefore use toilet rolls and other unhygienic papers and clothes and do not take good care of themselves which exposes them to life threatening infections’
“In my case for instance, I got the infection from years of using toilet roll. I think little pieces of the paper gathered over time and escalated into a serious health condition. This is why I am so passionate about this cause. There are days we travel long hours to reach some communities and are tempted to give up but we continue because we know what we do is important in the lives of girls and the communities as a whole
“Some of the materials some girls use during their menstruation will shock you. Talk of rags, plantain leaves, cotton, old newspapers and other materials which predisposes them to infections. Thankfully, after our talks we are able to distribute some sanitary towels to them and teach them how to use them properly, “she explained
Touching on funding, she said although she had personally invested a lot of money into the project in the last five years, a number of organisations and individuals have contributed immensely towards its success.
She expressed gratitude to the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Melcom Care Foundation, Eximbank Ghana, Donewell Insurance, Guinness Ghana, Fidelity Bank and Opportunity International.
She also acknowledged the wife of Lady Julia Osei Tutu, the wife of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the Patron of the foundation and Nana Ama Agyekum Kufuor, Co-Founder for their direction and counsel over the period.
Other members on her team include Dr John K. Bosomtwe, anobstetrician-gynecologist;Akosua Biama Aboagye, chief financial officer; Regina Akosua Frimpong, organiser and Godwin Ziorkli, in charge of digital media.
“There are many instances when team members had to put resources together to support one of our talks or buy sanitary pads. I can’t underestimate their support to the success of this project. On days when I breakdown due to lack of funding or other logistic challenges, they step in and take charge.”
Asked what her plans are for the future, Ms Adutwumwaa said she was hoping to secure more sponsorships locally and internationally to extend the project to other communities especially, remote areas.
“In the last five years, we have reached out to many communities across the country but there is more we can do if we have the support. Usually, on our visits, we distribute sanitary towels and leave some for the schools. We receive calls from teachers requesting for more and there are also calls from other places we have not been to at all.
“I am appealing to organisations and benevolent individuals to support us keep girls in school. The importance of education cannot be underestimated and we wouldn’t want girls to miss out because they are menstruating,” she noted.
Background
Ms Adutwumwaa had her basic education at the Golden Child School at Nii Boye Town, Accra before moving to Nifa Senior High School at Adukrom in the Eastern Region.
After SHS, she gained admission to the Central University College where she studied Human Resource Management.
She later enrolled at the Ghana Institute of Journalism for short courses in Event Management and Marketing.
Due to the intense nature of her advocacy work, she resigned from corporate world to fully focus on the foundation.
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
