Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD Ghana), a non-governmental organization, has installed sanitary pad banks in five selected basic schools in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.
The installation of the facilities comes under the She Leads project being implemented in the Upper West Region by CARD Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana.
The project aims to increase the sustained influence of girls and young women in leadership and decision-making at both formal and informal institutions.
The beneficiary schools – Chegli, Kperisi, Sagu, Nyagli and Nakori-Chansa Junior High Schools – formed part of the communities in which CARD Ghana implements the She Leads project.
Speaking at a short ceremony on July 22, 2025 to launch the facility at Sagu RC Junior High School, Project Coordinator and Executive Director of CARD Ghana, Ms. Ernestina Biney said pad banks are necessary to keep girls in school, who otherwise would have to be home each time they are menstruating, so as not to miss contact hours and also keep par with their boy counterparts.
She added that menstrual hygiene and menstrual confidence builds the overall confidence of girls in their quest to take up leadership roles and contribute to decision-making processes.
“When girls have access to sanitary products, they stay in school, gain confidence, and become leaders. This Pad Bank initiative is a step towards breaking barriers in girls’ education,” she said.
Ms. Biney urged the members of the beneficiary communities to ensure the sustainability of the initiative by keeping the banks regularly stocked.
She further called on the government to adopt the sanitary pad bank initiative as part of its Free Sanitary Pads for School Girls initiative.
Country Director for Plan International Ghana, Mr. Constant Tchona said, “Plan International Ghana is proud to support this initiative, ensuring no girl misses school because of her period. This adds up to many interventions we continue to implement and fund across the country to ensure that girls are empowered to learn, lead, decide and thrive.”
Wa Municipal Girl Child Education Coordinator, Pognaa Amamata Mumuni admonished parents that the facility was not mounted for them to shirk their responsibilities in providing sanitary pads for their girl children, saying the pad bank is meant to support girls when they are in school.
She urged male parents not to leave the responsibility of providing sanitary pads to only the mothers of girls, emphasizing that it is a collective duty.
She advised the school children to take their education seriously and do not allow period poverty to limit their potential anymore.
Mr. Nuhu Torfiq, the School Improvement and Support Officer (SISO) for Boli Circuit who represented the Kperisi Circuit SISO, lauded CARD Ghana for the initiative and expressed optimism that it would support the wellbeing and academic progression of girls.
He impressed upon the management of the beneficiary schools to ensure sustainability of the facilities through parent-teacher association (PTA) support and health components of capitation grants.
Headmistress of Sagu RC Junior High School, Madam Ruby Soyelleh thanked CARD Ghana and Plan International Ghana for their continuous support since the inception of the She Leads project.
She indicated that in the last two years, the school has not recorded any case of adolescent pregnancy, owing to the training and mentorship given to the girls under the project.
