To provide girls menstrual products to allow them to attend and complete school, save them from infection and infertility.
The problem
With many families in Ghana living in severe poverty and the spiralling cost of inflation many young girls are having to choose between eating and menstrual products with many resulting on unhygienic alternatives like old rags, leaves and even dried cow dung leading to infection, pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Many are even turning to having sex in exchange for menstrual products with 10% of 15 year olds reporting to having sex for menstrual products (as reported by US centre for disease control). With 65% unable to afford pads(reported by Bill and Melinda gates foundation) one in 10 young girls are missing school during their period leading to 20% of the school year missed and many dropping behind and dropping out due to not being able to keep up at school. This leads to a cycle of poverty with many young girls finding themselves as single parents being trafficked into prostitution which has detrimental effect on not only them but the children they are trying to support leading to malnutrition, high mortality rates in children, no opportunity for the children to gain basic education and severe economic hardship.
The solution
Working with Ghana educational services and the Kwame Nkrumah university we will attend schools and communities and educate on the importance of the correct sanitary products and the problems of unhygienic alternatives and leave supplies of products which will be refreshed on a monthly basis with many such as reusable pads, cups and inserts being used for up to 10 years.
What we expect to achieve
This project will enable girls to attend school throughout the month and with no missing schooling this will enable young girls to continue and complete their education leading to them being able to support themselves and their families currently only 30% of students enrolled in higher education are girls this project will improve on those numbers and allow girls the same opportunity. Girls who do not attend education have an average weekly salary of between 0 and £2.50 per week after completing education this raises to £35 keeping them away from prostitution and allowing their children to attend school. It will also improve health due to no infection from unhygienic alternatives and improve dignity as many girls are attending with bloodstained uniforms which is opening them up to bullying and ridicule.