DBG donates 10,000 sanitary towels to senior high schools

By Samuel SAM

Development Bank Ghana is committed to the distribution of over 10,000 sanitary pads to public school girls across the country to reduce period poverty, stigmatisation and school absenteeism.

Of the number, about 8,000 sanitary pads have been distributed to some Junior and Senior High Schools in Bolgatanga and Tamale of the Upper East and Northern Regions respectively.

The gesture that forms part of DBG’s corporate social responsibility in conformity with the Menstrual Hygiene awareness campaign, also complementing government’s national Free Sanitary Pads Policy aimed at distributing sanitary pads to schoolgirls across the country.

Some beneficiary schools included Bolgatanga Senior High School (SHS) and St Mary’s Junior High School (JHS) in Upper East Region; Ghana SHS (Ghanasco) and Business SHS (Bisco) in Northern Region; and Tepa SHS in Ashanti Region.

Aside from the pads, the girls were educated on the importance of menstrual hygiene and best hygiene practices

Presenting the items, Head of Corporate Responsibility at DBG, Barbara Anawonu Wricketts, said the organisation is committed to empowering young girls to have confidence in themselves – enabling them to focus on their academic work and achieve their goals.

It is also aimed at giving them basic understanding that menstruation is a natural phase in a woman’s life, therefore they should not feel shy but rather endeavour to keep themselves neat during the period.

“We at DBG believe that access to information and resources should not be limited by location and so decided to empower the schools to sensitise the girls and distribute some sanitary towels as part of our corporate social responsibility,” she said.

“We kick-started this campaign in Bolgatanga and hope to reach more schools to share the pads and empower them.

“At DBG we offer medium- to long-term loans for businesses, infrastructure, SMEs, textiles/garments and economic projects through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).”

Josephine Amobire from Tolon District Hospital encouraged the young girls to be circumspect with periods of menstruation in order not to attribute it to anything else, but seek medical care when necessary.

The Headmaster of Ghanasco, Mr. Douglas Yakubu Haruna, expressed gratitude to DBG management  for supporting the girls with sanitary pads, saying: “A lot of these girls come to school without sanitary pads and they suffer a lot”.

“Sometimes, out of frustration, they are not able to attend class for fear of stigma. When people also see the stains behind them, they become very uncomfortable. But with what has happened this morning, I believe that it is going to empower them, give them  courage to be in class and work very freely,” he stressed.

“It will also have an impact on their studies because coming to class with the confidence that they are well prepared and whatever happens they will not have stains behind them, they are good to go and will be very comfortable,” he added.

He also appealed for government and corporate organisations to emulate the gesture of DBG to support the girls and sustain the initiative, empowering more girls for a better tomorrow.

A beneficiary and General Prefect, Santuah Wemawome Genevieve, also expressed gratitude to DBG for the support, saying: “The education has had a great impact on girls and the pads will ease the stress of accessing them during their period”.

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