Children Believe is celebrating a transformative new program launched by the government of Ghana that will have a big impact on the life of girls and young women in the country. Free sanitary pad distribution began April 24, and our Ghana team was quick to promote the program which helps girls in the communities where we work to gain access to a simple, but critical resource.
Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities, and Children Believe recognizes the significant barrier it is to many girls and young women to attend school without days lost staying away due to lack of materials and facilities.
Menstrual Hygiene Day, May 28, is a movement raising awareness to period poverty to make talking about menstruation a normal part of life. Period poverty has steep opportunity costs, states UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
“Girls and young women around the world miss school days because they lack the resources to adequately manage their menstrual health and hygiene,” they report. “When girls and women lose their chance at education, they lose life-long opportunities for employment, to fulfill their potential and to contribute to our world on an equal footing to men.”
The issue is one that Children Believe is addressing through education and support in the communities where we work, such as Ghana. There, an estimated 5,000 girls will be impacted as our team and partners make the free sanitary program known in schools and break down the stigma that is attached to menstruation through education and training in Child-Friendly Accountability Mechanism (CFAM) girl’s clubs.
“We are monitoring our schools to ensure that girls benefit from the program,” says Esenam Kavi De Souza, Associate Country Director for Children Believe Ghana. “We will ensure our CFAM clubs participate in the distribution process in the schools and also assist in sensitizing girls on the usage of the pads.”
In all of Children Believe’s countries of operation, in our 2024 statistics, we supported a total of 29,687 girls through the formation of 1,105 girls’ clubs across Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nicaragua and Paraguay. Aso, Burkina Faso, where girls are being equipped and empowered to create lasting changes like Sakinatou and Congo who promote hygiene and the wellbeing of girls in their high school. Their efforts have lead to facilities that make it safer for girls in their community to manage their menstrual health and hygiene.
Help young women to overcome the issue of period poverty by providing Female Hygiene Kits so that girls can access education without interruptions.
About Children Believe
Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.
About Childfund Alliance
A member of ChildFund Alliance, Children Believe is part of a global network of child-focused development organizations working to create opportunities for children and youth, their families and communities. ChildFund helps nearly 23-million children and their families in 70 countries overcome poverty and underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work to end violence against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children and youth to create lasting change and elevate their voices in decisions that affect their lives.