The Ghana Association of University Women (GAUW) has engaged basic school girls to enlighten them on menstrual hygiene to mark the 2023 World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Over 200 adolescents drawn from basic schools within Cape Coast Metropolis participated in the Seminar, which was held at the Main Auditorium at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The Menstrual Hygiene Day is commemorated worldwide on May 28 with the aim of breaking taboos surrounding menstruation and raising awareness on the significance of good menstrual hygiene management worldwide.
Globally, the theme for this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day was “Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030."
Speaking at the event, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology-UCC, Dr. (Mrs.) Cythia Ayefoumi Adinortey, explained the stages of puberty, sexual maturation, and menopause.
Dr. (Mrs.) Cythia Ayefoumi Adinortey making a presentation at the programme
She mentioned mood swings, peer pressure, physical growth, development of breasts as some of the emotional changes during puberty.
The Senior Lecturer encouraged the girls to take their education seriously as they had the potentials of becoming great personalities in future.
She urged them to disregard the numerous myths and misconceptions people had against menstruation.
Dr. Adinortey called on the young girls to cultivate the B,B and B methods to ensure that they shunned premarital sex.
" The "B" is for books, the next "B" is before and the final "B" is for boys," she stressed.
Participants listening to presentations at the programme
She told the girls to practice personal hygiene by bathing twice daily, regularly wash their underwears and dry them in the sun.
For her part, an Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics- UCC, Prof. Christiana Nsiah-Asamoah, underlined the need for young girls to eat balanced diet during menstruation.
Prof. Christiana Nsiah-Asamoah speaking at the event
She said eating a balanced diet was essential for the smooth flow of blood during menstruation.
Prof. Nsiah-Asamoah told them to eat foods that were rich in essential nutrients such as vitamins, iron, zinc and folic acid to ensure painless menstruation.
A student at the Department of Vocational and Technical Education (VOTEC) , Ms. Benneta Ewuraba Baisie, in her presentation, educated the young girls on how to wear and properly dispose of used sanitary pads, as she made a few of them demonstrate it.
Ms. Benneta Ewuraba Baisie assisting a basic school student to demonstrate how to fix pad in a panty
She advised adolescent girls to stay abreast of their menstrual cycle and the type of flow they got and prepare adequately for it when their time was due to prevent soiling themselves.
Mrs. Midred Asmah, the outgoing chairperson of GAUW
The Outgoing President of GAUW, Mrs. Mildred Asmah, in her remarks, noted that the organisation took keen interest in women empowerment, and the education of young girls on menstrual hygiene.
The programme was chaired by an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Resource Management-UCC,Prof. (Mrs.) Rebecca Dei Mensah, who advised the girls to overcome the stigma and shame sometimes associated with menstruation.