Youth SRHR and Choices Today

There’s a lot of stigma associated with menstruation and this can be seen in some of the nicknames or euphemisms used for it. Although some of these euphemisms are not derogatory and are in common use, they still make “menstruation” sound like a taboo and should be discouraged because they reinforce the notion that menstruation is connected to shame. Moving forward, we may want to call a spade a spade , and menstruation,menstruation. Examples of such euphemisms include;   📌 “periods” 📌”Aunty Flo” 📌 “Red 📌 “It’s that time of the month” 📌”w’abu ne nsa” - she has broken her hands 📌 “edo le afeme” -she has stepped/gone out of the house  📌 “ekp) leti” -she has seen the moon Globally, the stigma of menstruation is perpetrated by cultural taboos, discrimination, lack of education, silence and “period” poverty (the inability to access/afford feminine hygiene products) We believe these recommendations will go a long way to smash menstruation stigma; 📌 Famil...

Despite being a completely natural function, menstruation has always been met with the most ridiculous of myths and this is the reason for the negative effects of the perception of menstruation on girls and women. The shame and misunderstanding surrounding menstruation has been deep-rooted in social and cultural norms.Today, we highlight a few of these myths as well as counter them with facts. Here are a few of the myths; 📌 Menstrual blood is a bad omen and can be used for rituals against the menstruating woman. 📌 Menstruating women are impure. 📌 Menstrual blood can weaken both men’s productive and reproductive abilities. 📌 Menstruation is a disease. Here are the facts of menstruation! 📌 Periods are a perfectly normal part of a girl or woman’s physiology. 📌 Menstruation is your body’s way of getting ready to  carry pregnancies. Without your period, you’re likely going to be unable to give birth. 📌 Menstruation is not a disease. It is part of the normal funct...

Are you aware that? 📌 66% of girls in public schools do not use their school toilet facilities when in their periods either due to lack of privacy, lack of water to flush, dirty environment or fear of falling through squat holes.  📌 7% of girls in private schools are unable to use their school toilet facilities either due to sight of used sanitary pads all around, toilet not frequently flushed and the stench from the washroom. 📌 Most girls send their used sanitary pads home because of lack of proper disposal facilities in the schools and the fear that their used pads will be used for rituals. 🔍In a nutshell, there are inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) facilities in schools accounting for absenteeism, low self esteem and loss of concentration due to fear of period accidents and poor menstrual hygiene. As we approach Menstrual Hygiene Day,2020(themed; It’s time for Action), the Youth Advisory Board of Marie Stopes Ghana acknowledges that there is the ur...

Did you know that? 📌 Between 59 and 90 percent of girls feel shameful about menstruation  [self-esteem]             📌Most girls are unable to pay attention in class or even participate in activities because of pain or anxiety about staining themselves [concentration] 📌 95 percent of girls sometimes miss school due to menstruation. [ absenteeism] 📌 some girls have to change schools or completely drop out of school because of the shame associated with period accidents especially when their mates make fun of them. [drop-out] 🔍 Essentially, all these girls lose out on contributing their maximum to their economies. Unfortunately, the girl reading this post may have experienced either one or more of low self esteem, loss of concentration or absenteeism because of her period at a point in her life. As we approach Menstrual Hygiene Day,2020(themed; It’s time for Action), the Youth Advisory Board of Marie Stopes Ghana acknowledges th...

Period accidents occur all the time; but we must admit that more often than not when they happen, most girls scurry away in shame because of the stigma associated with periods. The Youth advisory board of Mariestopes Ghana has put together these steps to help you be period smart when someone around you has a period accident.  Do read on and share your thoughts on it in the comment section. • Don’t laugh! • Make her understand it’s a perfectly normal thing to happen and to not be ashamed • Offer her a sweatshirt or jacket to cover the stain and help her to the washroom if she wants you to. • Offer an absorbent if you have one • Discourage others from laughing, jeering or passing derogatory remarks. Share your personal views on other ways we can be period smart as well in the comment section. Kindly join the ongoing conversation on periods ahead of Menstrual Hygiene Day on our social media handles   Facebook- Marie Stopes Ghana Instagram- @mariestope...

An absorbent as the name implies is anything that soaks fluid. In the case of period blood, the materials that were previously in existence could have all passed as absorbents with the above definition but not with the lastest innovation! Read on to discover which one it is. (Wink) The choice of menstrual hygiene product to use depends on what you’re most comfortable with, and what activity you’re engaged in at the moment. For example, swimming doesn’t have to be canceled when you’re on your period- The menstrual cup is there to save the day! Also, how frequently you change your used hygiene product depends on how heavy your flow is and also what you’re most comfortable with (again). Types of mentrual hygiene products include; • A sanitary pad: they are made of cotton and have sticky strips that attach to your underwear. Change frequently and don’t leave in place for more than 8hours. • Tampon: Cotton plug that can be inserted into the vagina. They usually come with an a...

It  is the 2 to 7 days that a girl or woman has her menstrual flow, which is when blood and tissue leave her body through her vagina. This happens because each month, blood and tissue build up in the uterus/womb to prepare for a fertilized egg in case the girl or woman becomes pregnant. Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. After ovulation(release of eggs) has been achieved, If the egg isn’t fertilized, that lining leaves the body through the vagina and the girl or woman has her period.         Therefore, a girl who is ovulating for the first time(which will lead to her first period) can also get pregnant if she has unprotected sex even though she hasn’t had her first period yet. Your first period is called “Menarche” and signifies that you can become pregnant if you have unprotected sex. A girl/woman continues to have her period every month till “Menopause”(end of menstration). The Youth Advisory Board of Marie Stopes Ghana, encourag...

Periods are a very normal part of a girl’s body function. Much like eating when a person is hungry, or feeling sleepy when a person needs to rest, a girl menstruates as part of her body’s normal functioning. This serves as a reminder to her that she is capable of getting pregnant and of nurturing another being. (If she wants or ever desires to) Some people call periods “Red red”, others “Biscui”, others “w’abu ne nsa” and others “edo le afeme”. But hey, regardless of how you call it, be comfortable with the term Menstruation and Period because they are perfectly normal and guess what?- without them, you wouldn't have been born. Cheers to all the menstruating girls and women out there, and the Youth Advisory Board of Mariestopes Ghana wishes you a Happy Mother’s Day. We celebrate you and appreciate all that you are and all that you do.  Cheers to the Woman that you’re Becoming!! Kindly visit the Mariestopes Ghana social media pages on Instagram, Twitter and fa...

Menstrual Hygiene Day is drawing near (does the waltz) and as part of our efforts to normalize menstruation and help eradicate its associated stigma in Ghana, the Youth Advisory Board of Mariestopes Ghana is poised for talks on Menstruation. These are fashioned to be fun and interactive and as we educate you with our posts, our aim is to engage you and to hear your views and suggestions on how we can make the world a better place for Menstruating girls and women. Do visit and follow Mariestopes Ghana on facebook, instagram and Twitter so you can join in on the conversation. And here’s the most exciting part- So you can stand a chance of winning a prize! Let’s do this! Credits: Dzidzor Kwamuar- Youth Advisory Board PRO

“ She is crazy ” ,  “ bitter ” ,  “ resentful ” ,  “ vengefu l ” ,  “ just another female with an ax to grind ” .   These words / phrases  are designed for  a  purpose : to silence  the  woman .  We  do not often   hear men being labeled with these adject ives when they speak out ,   rather they   are lauded for speaking up and telling their stories .   When  they  loudly confront and call out injustice as they see it, they are praised,  “ how brave ” , we say. We expect anger in men, yet  women are expected to smile in the f ace of their own destruction. Why? What is  so  different  about a woman speaking up that makes  yo u  shut  t h e m  up . W hen w omen   find themselves as victims of any kind of abuse, the possibility of being victimized all over again  should   they dare   to  speak up is a stro ng deterrent to ...

The need for Youth participation at all levels has been ‘the talk of town’ from time immemorial. With slogans like “nothing for us without us”, “if I can vote, I can lead”, “we are the future leaders” etc, generations have been screaming this crucial need; some of us came to reap the benefits of such efforts and asked for more. We asked to move from tokenism, representation without participation, consultations with no clear promise of implementing recommendations, engagement only at the implementation level etc. to “meaningful youth participation” and demanded for not just governments, but organizations to be kept accountable for that. Meaningful Youth Participation strategically ensures that young people are engaged at all stages of decision-making in organizations and can participate on equal terms at all necessary levels.   As a youth-serving organization, it was therefore prudent that Marie Stopes Ghana (MSG)   put in place a sustainable measure to enable m...