AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine has joined partners to educate school children on menstrual hygiene.

According to Mavis Nana Yaa Kyei, the Social Development and Gender Superintendent at AngloGold Ashanti, the education will help break the silence, raise awareness and change negative social norms surrounding menstrual hygiene.

She believes this is relevant to ensuring women and girls feel empowered to manage their periods safely, hygienically, with confidence and without embarrassment. 

"We should live in a society where no woman or girl is limited by something as natural and normal as menstruating.

A sustained education targeting girls, boys and the parents on Menstrual Hygiene will help demystify myths and Stigmas associated and further reduce absenteeism and put more girls back in school," Mavis Nana Yaa Kyei noted.

Mrs. Kyei was speaking at an educational programme held for all basic schools in Obuasi to mark this year's edition of World Menstrual Hygiene Day. 

This year’s edition is under the theme "Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030".

The Social Development and Gender Superintendent at AGA also noted, “breaking stigmas and building confidence of young girls play a fundamental role in enabling them to reach their full potential in academics.

The day resonates with the quest of AngloGold Ashanti to ensure inclusive development while building resilient communities of which women and girls play an integral part”.

AngloGold Ashanti, as part of its educational improvement programme, under the 10-year Socio Economic Development Plan (SEDP) will soon help advance efforts in augmenting the existing support in improving quality delivery and access to education in Obuasi.

The Obuasi Municipal Girl Child Coordinator, Cecilia Mensah said, “to bridge the gap between boys and girls in school, it is expedient for government to provide girls with sanitary pads

The Directorate has instituted a programme where school-based girl child facilitators embark on programmes that speak to the needs of the girl on menstrual hygiene and menstrual poverty”.

Cecilia Mensah, however, advocated for sustained advocacy on menstrual health in schools through the Adolescent class which included boys.

"With this, issues of bullying on the part of boys towards girls who menstruate will be a thing of the past," she hinted.

The Obuasi East Director of Health, Mrs. Delphine Gborblowor encouraged teachers, “to facilitate The Girls‘ Iron Folate Tablet Supplementation Programme (GIFTS) designed to provide adolescent girls with weekly iron and folic acid tablets to prevent them from being anaemic”.

A student of the Anyinam Methodist Junior High School, Saka Musah lauded AngloGold Ashanti for the education on Menstrual hygiene and providing them with sanitary pads.

She said, “most girls of her age find it difficult to access sanitary pads, hence called on the government to assist and keep them in School”.

AngloGold Ashanti and GIZ distributed thousands of sanitary towels to some girls in the Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East District.