Executive Director for the Tiyumba Hope Foundation, Ms Fadila Fuseini has called for intensive public education on menstrual hygiene and health in Ghana.
She said mensuration is a natural phenomenon and women must not suffer stigmatization and discrimination having their period.
In this regard, she reiterated the need for Ghana to channel more resources to intensify public education on personal and menstrual hygiene among teenagers in the country.
She emphasized that, there is the need for government to step up actions and invest more into menstrual health education.
“We must create opportunities for easy access to personal and menstrual health education, sexual reproductive health rights for young women and girls in our schools, health centers and the CHPS Compounds and also get volunteers to periodically visit the communities to educate the people on some of these issues.
This is necessary because when one is unable to take care of their menstrual life well, it can lead to other health conditions and complications subsequently” she explained.
Notwithstanding this however, Ms. Fadila in an exclusive interview told THE CUSTODIAN it is unacceptable for a woman to be discriminated and excluded in some socioeconomic activities simply because they are menstruating and urged the public to always condemn people who do such things against women and girls.
Highlighting on the theme for this year’s World Mensuration Day Celebration; “Action and Investment in Menstrual Hygiene and Health”, the Tiyumba Hope Foundation Executive Director noted Ghana must strive to achieve the sustainable development goals in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak globally.
“Menstrual hygiene should a concern to everybody and if much attention is given to it by all stakeholders, it will be helpful in achieving the SDGs by 2030. Government should provide more free sanitary pads for women and girls and we must also improve access to portable water especially in the rural communities, because water is a necessity to keep personal hygiene particularly during mensuration period” she intimated.
