An advocacy platform donated sanitary pads to students of the Kwabenya Community Senior High School in the Dome-Kwabenya District, a suburb of Accra in the Greater Accra region under its “One Friend One Box” campaign.

The donation exercise marked Fanthonio.net's first outreach programme and official launch of the campaign.

The goal of the “One Friend One Box” initiative is to support young girls with basic but critical needs such as in female reproductive health and hygiene to enable them get sanitary pads throughout the academic year.

The platform, through this campaign, aims to reduce the increasing reports of girls’ absenteeism in school during menstruation which has serious consequences on their academic performance, their personal growth and development. The campaign also seeks to sensitise the general public, particularly, young girls about the importance of menstrual hygiene.

Ms Felicia Anthonio, Founder of Fanthonio.net, in her address during the donation reiterated the important role access to modern sanitary pads plays in improving girls’ participation and confidence in school. She also expressed her outfit’s commitment to supporting young girls across the country with sanitary pads and mentorship opportunities.

“We hope to offer direct in-kind support to girls from deprived communities, train them on menstrual hygiene issues to increase their confidence and participation in class. Fanthonio.net also intends to set up menstrual hygiene clubs under the “One Friend One Box” campaign as a follow-up to every donation exercise carried out to train girls to become empowered and ambassadors of menstrual hygiene.” 

The event, which was held at the school premises, supported 100 first year female students from deprived homes. Each girl received a box containing between 12-16 packs of sanitary pads.  The selection of beneficiaries was done with the support of the school’s Guidance and Counselling Unit. 

The donation was preceded by a presentation on the importance of personal hygiene during menstruation. The students were taken through how to use and properly dispose of modern sanitary pads as well as the biological and physical changes that come with menstruation.

Authorities of the school expressed their profound gratitude to the platform and their commitment to working closely with Fanthonio.net to ensure the sustainability of the campaign. 

Donations received for the first exercise were mainly from individuals within and outside Ghana. About 50 individuals donated an average of two boxes each.