Lack
of access to sanitary supplies during menstruation drastically increases school
absenteeism, whilst inadequate reproductive health education can have even more
devastating consequences.
In
Ghana, girls and young women in parts of the country face obstacles to caring
for themselves during menstruation – girls fall behind or drop out of school completely.
To
provide support for underprivileged girls in Ghana to pursue their education, a
joint partnership project has been announced in Kumasi to provide sanitary
supplies and health-related educational materials to 1,000 junior school girls
over the next 6 months.
The
three partners for the project include Procter & Gamble SSA (Sub-Saharan
Africa Markets), World of Children® Award and EPF Educational Empowerment
Initiative, a Ghanaian organization founded by Winnifred Selby, 2015 World of
Children Youth Honoree.
This
is P&G’s first corporate citizenship initiative in Ghana, in line with its
new Commitment to Action announced at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual
Meeting in September 2015, to help girls and women around the globe build
confidence.
“Empowering
the female child is multifaceted and one of the most powerful platforms to positively
change our society,” said Khululiwe Mabaso, P&G’s Director of
Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Beyond the powerful impact this
initiative will have on the lives of vulnerable Ghanaian females, we are
optimistic that this will transverse all over Africa enabling an environment
that positively embraces and uplifts the female African child.”
It
is broadly estimated that as many as 30 million girls globally lack access to
proper sanitation during menstruation.
Through
P&G’s ‘Always School Programme’, over 1.2 million girls receive puberty and
hygiene education from professional nurses annually.
Selby
is thrilled with the joint project and its potential to expand the scope of her
current programs.
“Girls
can face so many problems in Ghana today. Winning the World of Children Award
and entering into this relationship with P&G shows that EPF’s work – and
these girls – are truly important to the world. I cannot wait to share the news
with them,” she said.
P&G
has already made significant impact with campaigns like the Always #LikeAGirl campaign,
which elicited an incredibly positive global response.
Harry
Leibowitz, Co-Founder of World of Children Award, describes the reasoning behind
the three-way project as an opportunity “to bring a largely taboo subject out
of the shadows”.
He said
“with P&G’s new commitment and past work, Selby’s work with girls in her
native Ghana, and World of Children Award in a position to connect the two, the
project just makes sense. We’re honored to be an integral part of this
incredibly important program designed to help girls remain in school.”
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