The Semanhyiya Project
A sustainable plan focused on alleviating period poverty in Senase, Ghana through reusable pads.
The Semanhyiya Project is an action-based nonprofit organization that addresses period poverty in Senase, Ghana. Through our efforts, we are working to secure schools with sanitation equipment such as resusable pads, as well as the health knowledge to ensure self-sufficiency. We hope to make a sustainable difference so that young girls can have the opportunity to progress their education without having their period hold them back.
Period Poverty
Period Poverty refers to the lack of access to sanitary products, education surrounding menstruation, toilets, sanitation, or waste management. It’s easiest considered as when women and girls cannot complete their education/jobs/daily routines because they do not have the resources to handle their menstruation every month.
Period Poverty in Senase, Ghana
Many girls in the village cannot afford sanitary products, leaving them with two choices. Some have to miss school every month while they get their period, resulting in eventually falling behind and having to drop out. Other girls find themselves in sexual relationships with older men, which often lead to pregnancies, STDs, or power-based violence. These young girls often still end up dropping out of school due to these consequences. In both cases, because of period poverty, young girls are stuck in a cycle of period poverty and violence and lose their access to education.
Immediate Relief
During our short visit, we raised enough money to donate 400 pads and distributed them to the 4th and 5th-grade girls at the public school. This donation lasted all 47 girls a few months of their cycle and received much gratitude.
Short Term Relief
We have won a grant to purchase 80 reusable pad kits. Each kit costs $10 and contains a set of reusable cloth pads; these pads last 3-5 years with proper care. These pads will be purchased from the nonprofit Days for Girls and distributed among the 4th and 5th-grade girls at two schools in Senase. It is important to provide these pads now. Firstly, we want to encourage girls to attend school while on their period (so they don’t fall behind). Secondly, our long-term program will have higher success if girls learn to use reusable, sanitary cloth pads when they first start menstruating compared to other, less sanitary materials. It can be more challenging to encourage a switch of products after one has started.
Long Term Relief
The Semanhyiya Project plans to enroll older girls to sew reusable pads through an elective sewing class offered in high school. The pads will then be distributed among those in need at the school; excess pads can be sold at the local markets for extra revenue, which can be used to purchase additional material. We are working with an entrepreneur who successfully executed a similar project in Zimbabwe; using grant money for the initial start-up costs and training, her program has been completely self-sufficient with no additional outside money for the last two years.
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Our organization serves girls and women of menstruating age in Senase, Ghana. We are especially aimed to serve those who cannot afford their own menstruation products. In addition to facilitating the sewing of pads, we are working with community members to provide health education and improve access to sanitation.
Why We’re Unique
It is not realistic to rely on pad donations permanently, and pads alone won’t immediately fix all gender inequalities in education. This is why we formed the Semanhyiya Project - a comprehensive project to address period poverty in Senase. Period poverty has far-reaching effects, so our program must be extensive as well. We are making sure the schools have adequate sanitation facilities, the girls have access to clean water and a clothesline, and all students receive accurate health knowledge. In all, we are looking to address these issues using leaders within the community and providing tools to allow self-sufficiency. Our organization is unique because of our connections to the village and our thorough, long-term approach. We have formed close relationships with many members of the community, including school teachers and critical donors. Working with them, we have a plan. We also have collaborated with innovative leaders who have successfully implemented similar projects in Africa. We are being thoughtful and consulting the literature for best practices. Using our backgrounds in public health, education, community organizing, business, and marketing, we have a plan to eradicate period poverty in Senase. We can do it.
