Nurses at the Dadoto CHPS compound in the Krachi East municipality of the Oti Region are urging the government, NGOs, and individuals to provide free sanitary pads to teenage girls in the community.
The goal is to address the escalating rate of teenage pregnancies in the area.
Etornam Tsakesuh, the nurse in charge of the facility said the surge in teenage pregnancies is evident not only in Dadoto but also in other nearby fishing communities.
This, she attributed to the lack of access to sanitary materials for adolescent girls, impacting not only on their personal hygiene but also hindering their ability to pursue education.
Girls often opt to stay home during their menstrual periods due to the unavailability of sanitary products.
Ms. Tsakesuh pointed out that, many teenage girls, unable to afford sanitary pads, resort to offering themselves to men for financial support to purchase these essential items.
In response to this pressing issue, the nurses at Dadoto CHPS compound have launched an initiative to solicit for sanitary pads for teenage girls in the area.
As part of their strategies to combat this problem, Ms. Tsakesuh proposed the provision of free disposable sanitary pads or a reduction in tax and prices to make these products more accessible to adolescent girls in remote areas.
Some girls also disclosed that, they are compelled to engage in transactional sex just to get money to purchase pads.
