CLITH, a leading health-centred non-profit organization in the Ghanaian sub-region joined the world on May 28 to celebrate Menstrual Hygiene Day with a virtual conference for Al-Waleed Comprehensive Basic School in Accra, Ghana. The event which was projected to about 65 school children, was partnered by Pora Period – an online “period” advocacy organization, and other well-aligned teams. Dr Hubert Gbate (CLITH), Dr Stephen Akiti (Co-founder of CLITH) and Dr Salome Masikinye (Co-founder of Pora Period) all engaged students and other participants from their respective offices in three different counties and time zones. Eugene Tornyeavah, the Managing Director of CLITH hosted this event courtesy of Swansea University in the UK where he is studying on a Chevening scholarship.
Over the past 3 years, CLITH has been in strong partnership with the Rebecca Aggroh Memorial Foundation in championing Menstrual Hygiene and related issues. They have engaged and distributed more than 10,000 sanitary materials and given education to more than 5000 school girls and communities in Ghana. This year’s conference discussed Dysmenorrhea – Pain experienced during menstruation and how to manage it as well as care before, during and after menstruation. Many people contributed to the dialogue with questions, experiences and tips on the zoom platform and Facebook where the event was streamed.
Mr Adamu Shaibu, our liaison with the Islamic Educational Unit of Accra who just got appointed as a National Menstrual Hygiene Ambassador in the company of some lovely people, was grateful for the strides we have made together over the years and encouraged continuous engagement from all sides. The headmaster of Al-Waleed Comprehensive school, Mr Martin Kpedanu in a conversation with Mr Shaibu, recounted challenges in participation – “The students enjoyed the presentation although we had very bad internet connection leading to breaks in transmission. We had to switch between Vodafone, Glo and MTN. All in all, it was very educative. and the girls have requested the recording for playback. We are grateful for the opportunity we enjoy”.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day to highlight the essence of better menstrual hygiene and care worldwide. It is marked on the 28th Day of the 5th Month to represent the average 5 days of flow in an average 28 days cycle. It was initiated by WASH, a german-based organization in 2014 and brings together actions and voices on non-profits, governments, agencies, the private sector, media and individuals to promote good Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) for all girls and women.
A playback of the conference is available at www.facebook.com/changinglivesgh
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