She-Rise, a non-governmental organization operating in the Upper East Region, has donated sanitary pads and organized a menstrual hygiene mentorship session for students of Zanlerigu Junior High School as part of activities marking Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026.
The outreach targeted period poverty and menstrual health awareness among girls in the school, many of whom face challenges accessing sanitary products and reproductive health information.
Speaking on behalf of She-Rise founder Sarah Teni Bobahima, team member Freda Nsobila Amisonga said the initiative aimed to educate girls on proper menstrual hygiene practices while providing sanitary pads to support them during their menstrual periods.
“Today we came to educate the girls on menstrual hygiene, how to keep themselves, and what menstrual hygiene is, and also came with some sanitary pads for them,” she said.
Miss Amisonga explained that the organization selected Zanlerigu JHS because of its location outside the municipality, where many girls struggle to access sanitary products and menstrual health education.
“We decided to come to this school because it’s outside town, and most of the people here find it difficult to get sanitary pads at the end of the month,” she said.
She added that many of the girls had little prior knowledge about menstrual hygiene before the session.
“When we came, most of the girls were naive. They didn’t really know what menstrual hygiene was,” she noted.
Miss Amisonga thanked sponsors and the organization’s founder for supporting the initiative, saying the donated pads would help the girls manage their periods with dignity.
Team member Jennifer Agamolga Anapoka, who led the practical training session, said stigma and silence surrounding menstruation continued to affect girls’ confidence and understanding of reproductive health issues.
“What I realized is that most of the girls here were a bit timid to speak about these issues. For them, it looked as if there was something to be ashamed of,” she said.
According to her, some girls lacked knowledge on the safe use of sanitary products and often relied on unsafe alternatives such as rags without proper guidance.
Miss Anapoka also called on parents to openly educate girls about menstruation before they begin their menstrual cycles.
She recounted that one student disclosed her parents refused to buy sanitary products, saying “being a girl is a useless gender.”
“This place should be a point that really needs to be looked at and given the right information they need around menstruation and reproductive health. There’s a lot of work to be done,” she added.
On behalf of the school management, Headteacher Abeere Awine Francis thanked the She-Rise team for the support and encouraged students to take personal hygiene seriously.
He also appealed to parents to support their daughters with proper guidance and menstrual hygiene materials.
The donation and mentorship session formed part of She-Rise Ghana’s broader efforts to combat period poverty and support girls’ education across the Upper East Region.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed globally every May 28 to promote awareness, challenge stigma surrounding menstruation, and advocate for access to menstrual products, education, and sanitation facilities.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | David Azure | Zanlerigu
