Officials of the Ayawaso West Assembly in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday joined staff and pupils of the Bethany Methodist Basic School at Dzorwulu in the municipality to commemorate this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
The officials distributed sanitary pads, panty liners, and other goodies and also used the occasion to educate the pupils on maintaining strict personal hygiene during that period.
The Assembly Member for Dzorwulu electoral area, Madam Rebecca Serwaa Agei, asked parents to provide their girls with sanitary pads to prevent them from using unhygienic materials during menstruation.
She also appealed to the school authorities to continually sensitise the pupils on menstrual hygiene, to ensure that they observe that period without any setback to their education.
Madam Agei who represented the Municipal Chief Executive, Madam Sandra Owusu-Ahenkorah, charged the pupils to properly dispose their used pads since it was not healthy to leave it in the open for everyone to see.
A Senior Research Scientist at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, (GAEC), Dr Mavis Owureku-Asare, who was one of the resource persons, urged the pupils to closely shave the pubic area before they menstruate.
This, she explained, would prevent unhealthy blood from getting trapped in the pubic hair to generate any unpleasant odour and infections.
Dr Owureku-Asare urged the pupils to avoid too much sugar substances during that period and rather eat fresh fruits and vegetables, tiger berries and food items rich in protein, iron and minerals to ensure balanced nutritional body.
An Assistant Director at the Assembly, Ms Wendy Sackey, urged the pupils not to be scared when they experience abdominal cramps during that period since it was normal, but should see a doctor when it becomes more severe.
According to her, menstruation has serious health implication in adolescent girls and charged them to take good care of themselves and also ensure that they place the pads properly in their pants to avoid any unpleasant situation.
The headmistress, Mrs Doris Mpere-Gyekye charged the pupils to see that period as a private matter and not expose themselves for everyone to see.
She urged them to properly dispose the used pads by wrapping it in polythene before discarding it into the dustbin.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
