Plan International Ghana Marks World Menstrual Hygiene Day with Sanitary Pad Distribution in Walewale

Walewale: Plan International Ghana, an NGO, has distributed 1,000 reusable sanitary pads to school girls to commemorate this year's World Menstrual Hygiene Day at Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipality. Held under the theme 'Together for a Period Friendly Ghana', the event aimed to highlight the challenges faced by women and girls in managing menstrual health, particularly in resource-limited settings. It also stressed the importance of implementing effective policies and programs to improve menstrual hygiene.According to Ghana News Agency, the celebration brought together key stakeholders from the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Education Service, and various development partners in the region. Mr. Constant Tchona, Country Director of Plan International Ghana, addressed the gathering, urging increased awareness around menstrual health and investment in menstrual education and WASH facilities, especially in schools. He emphasized that menstruation is a na tural part of life and called for breaking the stigma associated with it.Mr. Tchona highlighted several key interventions by the organization, including support for visually impaired girls to advocate for WASH facilities, constructing over 100 girl-friendly latrines, launching pad banks in schools and universities, and distributing reusable pads to more than 150,000 girls. He commended the government for allocating GHc292.4 million in the 2025 budget for free sanitary pads for female students in primary and secondary schools, noting that such initiatives are crucial for reducing absenteeism and breaking the cycle of poverty affecting girls.He urged the government to ensure the effective implementation of the Free Pad Initiative, particularly in underserved rural communities, and called for sustained investment in menstrual health education, school sanitation facilities, and local production of sanitary pads at scale.Mr. Ibrahim Tia, North East Regional Minister, described the celebration as a vital plat form for collective action to safeguard the dignity, health, and educational rights of women and girls. He praised Plan International Ghana for its continued contributions to development in the region, especially through the Integrated Package for Sustainable Development (IPADEV) project, highlighting its efforts as impactful.Reverend Ibrahim Sebiyam, Headmaster of Walewale Senior High/Technical School, appealed to Plan International Ghana and other organizations to provide the school with a female-friendly toilet facility, changing rooms, and potable water facilities. He expressed concern over the school's dependence on the Community Water and Sanitation Agency for water, describing the supply as erratic and inadequate. With a current student population of 2,013, the school faces limited water storage facilities, often forcing students to leave campus in search of water, disrupting academic activities and leading to indiscipline.World Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed annually on May 28, is a global initia tive aimed at raising awareness about menstruation, promoting good practices, and dispelling myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation.