Accra: Mrs. Ama Safowa, a mother of three daughters, faces a significant financial burden every month. As a single mother to three teenagers aged between 12 and 15 years, she is burdened with considerable monthly expenses. Foremost among these is school fees, followed by their daily food allowance, utility bills, and lastly, the cost of buying sanitary pads for them.
According to Ghana News Agency, the announcement of the free sanitary pads initiative for schoolgirls is not merely a matter of menstrual hygiene but a financial ‘messiah’ for households. With the government’s recent allocation of GHS 292.4 million, this initiative has the potential to ripple through family economies, offering much-needed relief and reshaping spending priorities.
The Ghana Living Standard Survey by the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that the average household income in rural parts of Ghana was GHS 1,500 annually, while households in urban areas earn between GHS 3,000 and GHS 5,000 monthly. Female-headed households like Miss Safowa’s, which earn less than GHS 3,000 monthly, are forced to spend more than 10 percent of their monthly income on sanitary products.
Households in rural areas with an annual income of GHS 1,500 would be forced to spend approximately 20 percent of their income on sanitary pads annually. When households are prioritizing putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads, menstrual hygiene often falls lower on the list of urgent expenditures.
The question arises: what was the plight of many families in addressing the menstrual hygiene of their girls in schools? Mrs. Safowa will save 1,200 Ghana cedis annually and can channel these savings into other ventures or address other needs. Thus, the government’s plan to spend GHS 292 million on sanitary pads is not a mere expenditure but a financial ‘messiah’.
