Emma Hayes x Every Woman Project
Our mission
Every woman should have access to sanitary products.
We’re committed to providing sanitary pads to the women and students of Old Odonase, a small village in Ghana, West Africa. Without access to sanitary pads, women can fall behind in school or use rags that lead to infections. A period should not end a woman’s opportunity to succeed. Let’s change that.
We invite you to be a part of our mission to improve the lives of the women of Old Odonase, Ghana. A gift of $20 can provide a woman access to sanitary pads for a full year.
It is vital that girls and boys are given equal opportunity to succeed.
Unfortunately, girls are forced to miss many days of school each year because of their period. Many girls in poverty stricken villages like Old Odonase, do not have access to sanitary pads. A typical period lasts four to seven days each month. This has been a problem that disadvantaged Ghanaian girls have faced for many years. However the BBC reported on August 11, 2023, in an article called “Period poverty: African women priced out of buying sanitary pads” that it is becoming more dire as sanitary pads in Ghana have become the most expensive products relative to monthly income of six African countries studied. The study showed that women on the minimum wage have to spend 13% of their salary to buy two packets of sanitary towels containing eight pads, which is what many women will need in a month.
When women don’t have access to sanitary products in relation to their education:
Some girls will stay home from school during their period if they do not have access to sanitary pads. With periods lasting 4-7 days on average, this means a girl could be missing 1 week of school per month.
Without a sanitary pad or access to changing the pad frequently, a girl’s school uniform may get stained. The majority of students only have 1 uniform. The teasing and mockery that comes with having to wear a blood stained uniform to school everyday has made girls stop their schooling.
It is also common that when these young women and their families are not able to afford pads on their own, they will go to a boyfriend for the money. We spoke with a Ghanaian woman, who is now in her early thirties, who explained that girls are forced to turn to a boyfriend but “there is no free lunch” so she recalls some of her classmates getting pregnant and having to drop out. The BBC Article titled “Period poverty: African women priced out of buying sanitary pads” quotes a 22 year old Ghanaian woman, who said “The only person available to help wants sex before he gives me the money. I have to do it because I need pads for the month”. These young women are forced to rely on boyfriends to buy period products and this dependent relationship can lead to pregnancy, ultimately forcing them to drop out of school.
In January 2024, I spent the day in Old Odonase, Ghana speaking with groups of about twenty girls at a time having “Girl Talk” sessions.
The village of Old Odonase is located in the Central Region of Ghana and was humid with temperatures in the high 90s. The women don’t have access to tap water but there are two wells in the village. There is a toilet in the tech center that was gifted to the village through Empathy FX in 2022. Because of the modern facilities like the tech center, many children from neighboring villages walk to Old Odonase each day to get the best education that they can. The school goes from Nursery/ Kindergarten through Junior High School. The government in Ghana does not support the schools so they rely on outside help to get their basic needs met.
We talked about their experiences with menstruation and the commonality that women around the world face. For the first time, the group of girls and their teachers spoke openly about their shared experiences from staining uniforms, getting teased, and feeling shame. The students left their “Girl Talk” groups feeling empowered, smiling as they left with their first supply of sanitary supplies. We talked about how to use them and to know that more sanitary pads would be coming. It was important to me that the girls really used the pads and weren’t worried that they would run out. I’ve been told that many women in Ghana, who are lucky enough to have access to pads, will either cut their pads in half so the supply lasts longer or change them just one time per day. The cost of pads in Ghana compared to a family’s income makes it pretty impossible to afford pads in Old Odonase. I let the girls know that while the pads are expensive and seen as a luxury, they shouldn’t be. These pads are a basic human need to give girls a better chance of success. These girls want to succeed and finish their education. They’re determined.
Our goal is to provide 200 women with 12 months worth of sanitary pads. Let’s start there and keep going. Join us in giving these girls the access to education through your support.
- Emma Hayes