Teachers, caregivers and education officers in special schools have received training on the use of brail materials to educate children with special needs on menstrual health and hygiene.
The three-day intensive training was put together by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the Ghana Education Service.
It falls under the Ministry’s Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project (SWP) which is being funded by the World Bank.
Mrs. Charlotte Adjei Marfo, Programme Manager, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, at the opening of the training at Fumesua near Ejisu, said girls with special needs normally stayed out of school because of inadequate access to infrastructure, outdated educational materials and stigmatization during their menstrual periods.
These girls, according to her, mattered a lot and if supported to menstruate hygienically and privately could boost their confidence to stay in school and learn.
It was against this background, she noted, that Water, S
anitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities being undertaken by the Ministry over the years in ‘normal’ schools had been extended to these special schools.
Mrs. Adjei Marfo mentioned that through the World Bank funded project, stakeholders had prepared brail materials on menstrual hygiene education for all the 10 visually impaired schools in Ghana.
There were also others on flip charts and audio-visuals for those with hearing and speech difficulties.
She was of the view that since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlighted equity and inclusion, all special kids should not be left behind, adding that it was time intentional efforts were made to prioritize their needs.
She called on benevolent organizations and individuals to help menstrual hygiene interventions, especially to special schools, since most of the materials (pull-ups, tampons) during the periods were quite expensive.
Mrs. Theresah Oppong-Mensah, Director in-charge of School Health Education Programme at the Ghana Education Service, note
d that girls faced a lot of challenges during their menstrual periods, and it was important conducive environment was created for them to have sound and safe periods.
Talking about menstrual stigma, she said deliberate efforts were being made to expose both boys and girls to accept each other as they were.
This, she noted, had become important to boost the confidence of the girls to attend school during that time of the month.
Source: Ghana News Agency
