Happy School Girl
Menstrual hygiene is essential to the poise and health of girls and an integral part of hygiene, cleanliness and reproductive health to which every girl has a right. Girls in less privileged places like villages and small towns still use unhygienic reusable cloth during their periods. Isn’t this sad?
The Happy School Girl Project (HSGP) believes menstruation management should be Simple, Hygienic, Affordable and Innovative. The words that were used to describe the re-engineering of the reusable sanitary pads in Ghana. The reusable pads are not new, but are an improvement on the “rugs” used prior to the introduction of the disposable sanitary pads. Although there have been some interventions in menstrual hygiene, there has not been much effort at comprehensively addressing the core issues of affordability, without compromising hygiene and ease of use.
The maintenance of an active lifestyle, avoidance of stress and tension during periods, and its culminating effect on school dropout and attendance has become a concern to girls, parents, education sector players, civil society and international development partners. Child Online Africa (COA) has therefore embarked on a project dubbed “Happy School Girl”, which is part of a comprehensive programme to make the school environment comfortable and enjoyable for school children. At the core of this project is the provision of knowledge and materials for school girls so as to allow them to have normal daily routine and effectively participate in learning activities without being disrupted by the issues of flow.
For many girls around the world, it’s a barrier to going to school. So, we at Child Online Africa are working to provide easy access to sanitary products and education to help girls manage their periods better.
Read More