When free sanitary protection is provided to secondary school girls there is a sharp drop in absenteeism and increased participation in household chores and socializing, a new pilot study in Ghana shows. Oxford University Professor Linda Scott led the study, which involved more than 180 girls in four remote villages in Ghana. She says menstruation is often a taboo subject. Cost and lack of availability are two reasons rural girls in poor countries go without sanitary protection. What’s more, Professor Scott says girls are perceived differently once menstruation begins.Scott says the long-term consequences are “huge.” While education for both boys and girls is critical for a nation’s development, ensuring girls remain in school can bring many benefits.

Read more: Saïd Business School – Sanitary care in Ghana

Source: Voice of America, 01 Feb 2010; University of Oxford, 01 Feb 2010

Tags: africa, gender, hygiene promotion, school sanitation