Civil society organisations and government agencies have called on the Ghanaian government to install sanitary pad dispensers and construct improved changing rooms in Basic and Senior High Schools, highlighting the link between menstrual hygiene and key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The appeal, made during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the ActionAid Ghana Bono Regional Office in Abesim, Sunyani, stressed that lack of access to proper menstrual hygiene facilities directly affects SDG 3 (Health), SDG 4 (Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation).
Period Poverty and School Attendance
Participants, including representatives from the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Department of Gender, the Department of Children, and the Ghana Education Service, noted that many schoolgirls, particularly in rural areas, miss classes or drop out entirely during menstruation due to inadequate facilities.
Mrs. Joycelyn Adii, Bono Regional Director of the Department of Gender, highlighted that “some schoolgirls cannot even change themselves in schools because of the lack of changing rooms and sanitary dispensers,” underlining the urgent need for infrastructure to support menstrual hygiene.
Building Confidence and Retention
Mr. Kwame Afram Denyira, Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, warned that insufficient facilities contribute to high dropout rates among girls in the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions. He urged the government to create an enabling environment to sustain girls’ participation in school.
Echoing the concern, Mr. Edmond Gyebi, Communications Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), noted that improved sanitary facilities would boost girls’ confidence and ensure they remain in school even during menstruation.
Follow-Up and Accountability
The meeting formed part of ActionAid Ghana’s Accountability Learning and Planning Systems (ALPs), which review programme outcomes and emerging social issues to guide interventions for the coming year. Stakeholders discussed collaboration opportunities to implement the 2026 programme interventions aimed at tackling structural causes of poverty and social injustice.
While stakeholders commended the government’s free sanitary pad distribution programme, they emphasised that the addition of dispensers and private, well-equipped changing rooms is essential to fully address period poverty and improve girls’ school retention across rural communities.
