Who We Are
VISION
A girl’s state of personal hygiene should not be defined by finances. Because the menstrual cycle milestone in every girl’s life is significant, it can be daunting as she learns how to maneuver the stressors, fears and societal stigma of soiling her clothes anytime, when she gets her period.
The Scarlett Project aims to eliminate and or reduce society’s ignorance and under-education on effectively managing periods and to end period poverty in Ghana, West Africa.
MISSION
To provide free biodegradable sanitary pads and personal hygiene education and awareness to teenage girls in Ghana, West Africa.
The Challenge
As rumor has it, we learn something new from every experience.
The Scarlett Project is one of such experiences, whose underpinnings originated from the quest to learn how teenage girls in rural Ghana manage their menstrual cycles. As of November 2023, the minimum cost of a pack of 12 pads is 18 GHC (approximately $2.00); this cost accounts for approximately ¢17 per pad.
Teenage girls in rural Ghana face the challenge of affording sanitary products during their periods, in a country where the average Ghanaian lives on approximately $1 a day.
In addition, the birth of The Scarlett Project rises at a time in which heated political discussions are being held on placing taxes on pad products when the average Ghanaian teenage girl living in rural Ghana is unable to afford pads.
The Solution
The overabundance of banana pseudostems has created a need for the existence of The Scarlett Project, whose aim is to provide free sanitary pads to teenage girls in Ghana.
At present, efforts to help end period poverty have been slightly successful, yet unsustainable as the number of teenage girls in need of a zero-cost sanitary pads alternative keeps growing. One of such efforts is the donation of sanitary pads to Junior Secondary Schools such as St. Joseph's JHS, Konadu Yiadom JHS and St. Louis JHS, all located in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
The Why
- Pads are placed in close proximity to the most delicate and absorbent tissue on the female body.
- Females spend at least 20% of their lives with sanitary pads.
- After each banana harvest, farmers burn the banana pseudostems, which causes air pollution or pay additional labor to remove the pseudostems from their farms as waste.
- To overcome the environmental issues of air pollution and waste, The Scarlet Project will utilize alternative natural materials for the production of sustainable sanitary pads.
- These sanitary pads will be provided at no cost to teenage girls living in rural Ghana, West Africa.
The Need
Having lived in the US for most of my life, I have grown to understand the adage of giving back to society. The need for the existence and operation of The Scarlett Project will be heavily dependent on generous contributions toward the building of a sanitary pad making factory and the purchase of necessary machinery for the production and manufacturing of biodegradable sanitary pads from the banana pseudostem raw material.
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