PROPOSAL FOR SPONSORSHIP IN ENSURING MENSTRUAL HYGIENE IN

GHANAIAN FEMALE PRISONS

IMPLEMENTER

ABIGAIL DUODU

C/O James Brefo

St. Patrick Catholic Church
P.O.BOX 281
Offinso - Maase
GHANA

EMAIL: abigailduodu56@gmail.com

CONTACT PERSON

BOATENG AGYENIM RICHARD

RADIO PRESENTER
+233 500218684
E-mail Address: mallwasty@gmail.com

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Cover Page…………………………………………………………………… i

Table of Contents……………………………………………………………. ii

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………. 1

Problem Statement ………………………………………………………….. 1

Profile of Implementer……………………………………………………….. 2

Need Assessment…………………………………………………………….. 3

Challenges……………………………………………………………………. 3

Project Description…………………………………………………………… 4

Project Mission………………………………………………………………. 4

Project Goal………………………………………………………………….. 4

Project Objectives……………………………………………………………. 5

Project Planned Activities…………………………………………………… 5

Target Group/Beneficiaries………………………………………………….. 6

Geographical Coverage……………………………………………………… 6

Expected Outcome…………………………………………………………… 6

Project Implementation……………………………………………………… 7

Evaluation and Reporting System…………………………………………... 7

Project Sustainability………………………………………………………... 7

Project Budget……………………………………………………………….. 8

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Executive Summary

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) refers to management of hygiene associated with the

menstrual process. WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for drinking

water, sanitation, and hygiene has defined Menstrual Hygiene Management as: “Women and

adolescent girls using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual

blood, that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for the duration of a menstrual

period, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access to safe and

convenient facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials. They understand

the basic facts linked to the menstrual cycle and how to manage it with dignity and without

discomfort or fear.”

The struggle for accessible menstrual hygiene management becomes more challenging for

prisons, where women often live away from the comfort of their homes and have to rely on

authorities for access to sanitary products. This problem needs to be addressed, as menstrual

hygiene products are a necessity and should never be treated as a privilege.

Through this project, Abigail Duodu aims to bring to light the need to consider menstrual

hygiene provision for women in prisons and interventions to assess needs, raise awareness of

women’s entitlements and best practices, and improve access to sanitary products in places of

detention.

Problem Statement

The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial

Measures for Women Offenders prescribe that places where women are detained should have

the requisite facilities and materials to ensure women’s specific hygiene needs (Rule 5).

These include the free provision of sanitary towels and regular supply of water. Despite this,

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menstrual hygiene in prisons continues to be an issue in many countries including Ghana.

Menstrual hygiene is yet to take center stage in the discussions on women in prison.

However, policies of some governments indicate efforts taken to address this critical aspect

of prison life. In April 2019, the United Kingdom said that they would provide free sanitary

products for everyone detained who menstruates, recognizing that it is crucial to ensuring

their dignity. The same year, the Malawian Parliament approved an increase of K30 million

(approximately GBP 38,781) in their Prison Service Health Budget specifically to provide

menstrual hygiene materials for women and girls in prisons.

In some Ghanaian jails, women either bought sanitary napkins from the prison canteen or

resorted to using old cloth and rags posing a real concern to their menstrual hygiene. Prison

visits in Ghana by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) have revealed the

lack of proper infrastructure in women’s facilities and the limited provision of sanitary

products to ensure menstrual hygiene during their period of incarceration in many prisons.

To address these concerns, and for increased awareness and outreach on this issue, this

proposal has been prepared to seek public intervention on the matter.

Profile of Implementer

Abigail Duodu (aka Queen Obronii) is the 1 st runner up of the reality show “Miss Golden

Stool” which was produced and aired on Adom TV from 2 nd October, 2022 to 27th November,

2022. After emerging second on this brilliant initiative put up by Adom TV, she has

embarked on several charitable and donation programmes some of which are a recent visit to

the Kumasi Central Female Prison. Being charitable and donating to the needy is something

that has been part of her since she was a kid; an experience she had in her early days living in

a police barracks. She had the opportunity to speak with some of these prisoners who in turn

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shared their experiences and the challenges they go through as female prisoners. Thus these

stories moved her so much that she has put it upon herself to embark on such programmes

anytime she gets the opportunity, to help those in need to at least ease their pain if not get rid

of it.

On this note, Abigail Duodu (aka Queen Obronii) humbly calls on foreign NGOs, Adonko

Industries, Offinso Traditional Council, Ghana Health Service, sanitary pad and tissue

companies in Ghana (i.e. Yazz Products, Everpack Ghana, Fon Limited Paper, etc), Gender

Minister, Management of Issca books (Mr. Owusu Isca), Joy Industry, Mr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi

(liberty University) and other stakeholders to come to the aid of these prisoners.

Need Assessment

In order to improve the situation of these inmates, it’s necessary for NGOs, families, local

communities and the general public to contribute either individually or as group to

supplement this initiative and those of other development partners. Therefore, there is need/a

call for both local and international organizations/communities/groups/development

partners/corporates and private individuals to contribute in order to improve the situation

under which these inmates live and attend to their menstrual hygiene in female prisons. I

intend to encourage families, communities and external parties to treat all female inmates in

prisons with respect ensuring that they are not treated as helpless victims but as actors in their

own rights.

Challenges

Female prisons face a lot of challenges, some of these challenges are:

 Access to clean water and basic facilities

 Lack of accessibility with respect to disabled/pregnant/post-natal menstruating

women

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  Lack of trained number of warder/s to effectively manage the menstrual needs of

women prisoners

 No accessibility to hot/cold/lukewarm water based on climatic conditions to assist in

managing menstrual pain.

 Lack of soap dispensers

 Lack of clothes lines for drying used and washed underwear/reusable menstrual cloth

and other absorbents in sunlight

 Lack of dustbins with lids for disposal of sanitary pads during lock up hours and night

 Inadequate supply chain of menstrual products

 Lack of waste management of used menstrual products, etc.

Project Description

The project aims at making donations within all female prisons nationwide as a means to

improve menstrual health and hygiene for women prisoners as well as women prison staff.

These donations will also be made to police stations, and for court lock-ups, as women often

spend long durations in custody during arrest or court hearings.

Project Mission

Provision of holistic high quality support to vulnerable female prisoners in all female prisons

across the country to better manage their menstrual hygiene.

Project Goal

To address the problem of menstrual hygiene in female prisons and for increased awareness

and outreach on the issue of menstrual hygiene in all female prisons in Ghana.

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Project Objectives

 To provide care and support services to the many vulnerable female prisoners

 To provide quality and sufficient quantity of sanitary pads and other materials (i.e.

soap, toiletries, clean water, etc) that can help in their menstrual hygiene in prisons

 To provide items such as bins for safe disposal of used pads

 To educate the prison service on the need to provide regular prison visits by female

doctors

 To set up menstrual product enterprises inside prisons, creating a livelihood option for

prisoners

 To raise awareness among the prison staff and prisoners on issues of menstrual

hygiene

 To establish a strong network of support with the communities’ leaders and the prison

system.

 Launch a series of fundraising activities that will successfully fund the expanding

program.

Project Planned Activities

 Meeting with the Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) of the every visited

Prison Department, prison officers and wardens to dialogue on the purpose and need

of the project

 Consultations with a menstrual product expert to build in a supply chain to pre-qualify

a basket of vendors to ensure smooth supply with various options of price point

 Procuring and distribution of toilet articles and menstrual products including sanitary

pads and towels (procured through tenders issued by the contestant and her

entourage), panties/underwear (of varying sizes for different body types: S, M, L, XL)

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  Meeting with female inmates to educate them on the need to prioritize their menstrual

health

Target Group/Beneficiaries

The main target group is all female prisoners in prisons across Ghana. All these female

prisoners are taken into consideration.

Geographical Coverage

The program wishes to cover all female prisons in Ghana. According to the Ghana Prisons

system report, 2022, there are 47 prison establishments in Ghana, including twelve major

male prisons. These male prisons are located in Akuse, Kumasi, Sekondi, Tamale, Nsawam,

Ho, Sunyani, Navrongo, Wa, Tarkwa, Winneba, and Cape Coast. The country also has seven

major female prisons, located in Akuse, Ho, Nsawam, Sekondi, Sunyani, Kumasi, and

Tamale. In addition, there are local prisons sited throughout the country. The James camp

Prison near Accra, and Ankaful near Cape Coast, are both Open camp prisons. Ghana’s

prisons house between 11,000 and 14,000 inmates, with females forming approximately 2%

of the prison population which is about 280 female prisoners on average.

Expected Outcome

 Female prisoners will be provided care and support services

 Female prisoners will be provided quality and sufficient quantity of sanitary pads and

other materials (i.e. soap, toiletries, clean water, etc) that can help in their menstrual

hygiene in prisons

 Female prisons will be supplied with items such as bins for safe disposal of used pads

 The prison service in general will be educated on the need to provide regular prison

visits by female doctors

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  A menstrual product enterprises inside prisons will be set up to create a livelihood

option for prisoners

 The project will raise awareness among the prison staff and prisoners on issues of

menstrual hygiene

 A strong network of support with the communities’ leaders and the prison system will

be established

 A series of fundraising activities will be launched to fund the expanding program.

Project Implementation

It will be implemented by Ms. Abigail Duodu. With the availability of resources, the project

shall be fully operational within one month and on-going depending on the agreed donor time

framework. The program tends to cover duration of 1 year.

Evaluation and Reporting System

The project will be subject to evaluation on a quarterly basis. However, day to day

monitoring of its progress will be carried out by the Project Manager (Abigail Duodu) to

ensure attainment of the project goal. Quarterly reports will be made to the donor agency to

confirm proper and effective use of resources received. All the necessary information and

photographs concerning the women will be available on request.

Project Sustainability

Though it’s a female prisoners’ support project, at the start of the project, the workers of the

beneficiary prison members will be mobilized and sensitized about the need to contribute

positively towards the education of the vulnerable and insecure female prisoners. The head

female warden of the prison will be required to see to the long term education and smooth

running of the project.

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 PROJECT BUDGET (Quarterly)

Activity Description Total cost Requested Fund

GH¢ GH¢

Human Resource Activities 1 Project Coordinator ¢4,000 ¢6,800

2 Project Assistants ¢2,800

Donor visits Transport & ¢12,000 ¢12,000

Acquisition of sanitary pads, Miscellaneous

soap, toiletries, sachet water,

bins, other toiletries from

donor companies

Travel Travel, ¢20,000 ¢20,000

Accommodation, and

per diem expenses

Total for 1st Quarter (Applicable to 3 quarters) ¢38,800

Total for the year (Annual) ¢38,800 x 3

quarters =

GH¢116,400

NB: The targets are private donations, business sponsorships and fundraising campaigns. By

the end of December, 2023, the estimated funding should be GH¢116,400.