In a powerful convergence of education, protection, and dignity, over 300 final-year students from Islamic schools across the Techiman Metropolis gathered today for a vital mission: safeguarding their futures against child marriage while demanding menstrual equity.

The event, marking World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025, resonated with urgent calls to action following a chilling revelation from a traditional leader.

Organised by a 2023 Joy News Impact Makers Awardee and CEO of the Ellen White Sustainable Foundation, the sensitisation programme armed the girls with critical knowledge as they prepare for their upcoming final exams.

Ellen White Opoku - 2023 Joy News Impact Makers Awardee

The core message was unequivocal: prioritise education, reject child marriage, and speak out.

"Your exams are your passport to freedom. Child marriage is a dead-end street trapping your dreams," declared the Girl Child Coordinator, Ellen White Opoku.

“If you see it, hear it, or face it – report it immediately to your teachers, authorities, or our Foundation. Your voice is your strongest shield." She added.

The gathering took a deeply emotional turn when Nana Ama Asantewaa Munufie, Queenmother of the Hansua Traditional Area, took the podium. Linking the lack of menstrual hygiene products directly to devastating vulnerability and exploitation, she delivered a raw and urgent plea to parents.

Nana Ama Asantewaa Munufie - Queenmother, Hansua

"When your daughter bleeds, it is life, not shame! Denying her sanitary pads is leaving her naked to predators!" Queenmother Munufie stated forcefully.

She recounted a tragedy from her own community: "A young girl, desperate and ashamed during her menses. A man saw her need. He offered to buy her pads… and stole her innocence. He took advantage of the situation and impregnated her. This horror is our collective failure when we neglect this basic need!"

Her testimony laid bare the dangerous intersection of period poverty and sexual exploitation – a pathway that can lead directly to forced child marriages.

Queenmother Munufie's call extended beyond parents as she called on Philanthropists and NGOs to intervene by supporting vulnerable girls with sanitary products, which are essential in keeping girls safe and healthy.

Metropolitan Girl Child Coordinator Ellen White Opoku emphasised that tackling child marriage requires addressing its root causes, including the vulnerabilities exacerbated by menstrual poverty.

The event combined awareness-raising on reporting mechanisms with practical discussions on menstrual health management, weaving a stronger safety net for the attendees.

This gathering highlights the critical, often overlooked link between menstrual dignity and the prevention of child marriage and exploitation.

The Queenmother’s firsthand account provides undeniable evidence of how the simple lack of sanitary pads can have catastrophic consequences, derailing education and trapping girls in cycles of vulnerability. The unified call for the government's free pad policy to become an immediate reality adds significant weight to a growing national demand.