Team Testimonial: Moses Baffour

In February ACESWorld partnered with a local nonprofit, the Centre for Adolescents and Women's Health Initiative (CAWHI), to conduct a Pads4Learning project in an isolated community in northern Ghana. In this remote community, most of the population does not speak English, and school enrollment is very low, in part because of the high rate of teenage mothers. The Pads4Learning project provided reproductive and menstrual health training to school-aged girls and young women of this community. In addition to education in their local language, they were provided with supplies and instruction to make reusable menstrual pads to help them manage their periods with dignity. 

These training sessions can be transformative to communities and ACESWorld team members alike. Among the team working directly with the community in this project was Moses, an intern with ACESWorld. He describes the experience of supporting his first Pads4Learning project below:

Working on the Pads4Learning project was a great opportunity for me. This was my first time knowing and hearing that girls can make their own pads. It can be done without difficulty and without the need to purchase sanitary products that are expensive to most families. With the help of ACESWorld’s training, I equipped myself with relevant knowledge of reproductive health, menstrual hygiene and pad making. It was a great and happy day for me to visit girls and community members from such an isolated, remote community, which one can access by canoe.

When I saw the girls and the community members ready to learn about reproductive health, menstrual hygiene and pad making, this gave me joy. Even though I found it difficult to communicate with them, since they don’t speak nor understand the English language, I sometimes used sign language to communicate meaning. There was one girl among the group who could speak fair English, and she sometimes translated for me to converse with other girls. I had meaningful interactions with girls and community members who communicated their excitement to learn about reproductive health and menstrual hygiene, yet for many, the most exciting aspect was the pad making. 

I was very happy to contribute to making a positive impact on the lives of these girls and the community members through the Pads4Learning project. I am grateful to Linda B Jackson (CEO of ACESWorld) and the entire ACESWorld team for giving me such a great opportunity and privilege to be part of this wonderful family making a positive impact on the lives of people in the communities around the globe.