It is crucial to practise proper menstrual hygiene since it makes girls feel at ease at school and helps to prevent infection and odour.

Unfortunately, because of poverty, many girls, espe­cially those in rural com­munities, cannot afford to use sanitary pads, and as a result, they skip school during their periods, which eventually has an impact on their performance.

According to a report, some females even use unwanted materials at this time, endangering their health.

There is still more that can be done to support many girls, despite numerous interventions by civil society organisations, non-govern­mental organisations (NGOs), philanthropists, churches, and other advocacy groups in the form of free sanitary pads donated to schools.

Recently, there have been requests for the government to reduce sanitary pad tar­iffs, but some have contend­ed that doing so will affect the operations of local sanitary pad producers.

Local firms should be encouraged to acquire the prerequisites to make sani­tary pads locally rather than relying on imports. This will increase local businesses’ output, produce jobs for young people, and bring in money for the government.

The Spectator applauds individuals who have been providing sanitary pads to schools and educating young girls about menstrual hygiene, especially in the weeks leading up to Men­strual Hygiene Day observed on May 28 each year to ensure that girls are fully equipped to manage their menstruation.

The Spectator is making a plea to other organisations to prioritise providing sani­tary pads to schools in order to help young girls, partic­ularly those living in rural communities, continue their education and fully engage in other social activities.

We also implore local manufacturers and importers of sanitary products to make it a mission to regularly contribute a portion of their goods to schools for use by girls as part of their cor­porate social responsibility efforts in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES).

We hope that the donation would be made frequently not just once, to help girls in both urban and rural loca­tions.

To assist the girls change regularly when menstruat­ing, it is also vital to provide clean washrooms and pri­oritise the supply of water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities (WASH) in schools.

The Spectator hopes that these initiatives would encourage girls to stay in school, concentrate on their education, and improve their performance in order to prepare for a better future, thereby closing the gender gap that gender experts have been urging for.