Changing Minds, Changing Futures: How Menstrual Education Is Keeping Girls in School in Bongo

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In the Bongo District of Ghana’s Upper East Region, a quiet revolution is taking place in classrooms—led not only by teachers and NGOs, but also by boys who now understand what it means for girls to menstruate.
Once a source of shame and stigma, menstruation is no longer driving girls out of school, thanks to the efforts of WaterAid Ghana and its partners under the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project.
The initiative, rolled out in 2022 across 12 public basic schools, is part of a five-year effort to combat gender-based educational inequality caused by poor menstrual health management and social misconceptions. The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and jointly implemented by WaterAid Ghana, Right To Play, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), and FHI 360 Ghana.
At the heart of this transformation is a simple but life-changing intervention: the distribution of free, reusable sanitary pads to schoolgirls. In addition, pupils—both boys and girls—were trained to make the reusable cloth pads themselves, breaking down long-standing taboos surrounding menstruation.
“In the past, many girls stayed home during their period because they didn’t have pads, or they were afraid of being mocked,” said Evelyn Yadeh, the Bongo District Coordinator for the Ghana Education Service’s School Health Education Programme (SHEP). “We’re seeing significant improvements in attendance, confidence, and understanding among both girls and boys.”

Teachers at Gowrie-Tingre D/A Junior High School shared troubling stories of how girls suffered in silence before the project began. One girl, they recalled, stayed behind after school to clean a bloodstain from her seat, hoping to avoid ridicule. That image became a symbol of the silent struggles girls endured each month.
“Before the SHARE intervention, we recorded a lot of absenteeism during menstruation,” said Rebecca Akadoore, a teacher and School Health Coordinator at the school. “Some girls even avoided school altogether, or isolated themselves out of fear.”
The SHARE project not only provided the girls with menstrual products, it also launched school health clubs and teacher-led training sessions that addressed menstrual hygiene, reproductive health, and gender equality.
For 13-year-old Louisa Akanobre, the change has been deeply personal.
“I used to feel very uncomfortable in school during my period because the boys would laugh at us,” she told journalists. “But now, they understand it better and no one makes fun of us anymore.”
Male students have also embraced the change.
“Before, we used to laugh at the girls,” one boy said. “But now we know menstruation is natural, and we even help them sew the reusable pads.”
The Ghana Education Service has credited the project with reducing drop-out rates and improving the educational experience for girls across the district.

WaterAid Ghana says it is aware of the gaps and remains committed to scaling up menstrual hygiene support in underserved communities.
As menstrual stigma fades in Bongo, what’s emerging is a model of empowerment where health, dignity, and education move forward—together.