Stakeholders in the Ekumfi District have marked this year’s World Toilet Day with a powerful call for improved sanitation, menstrual health support and strong investment in rural education. The event was held on Wednesday, 19th November 2025, at Ekumfi Engow under the theme “Sanitation in a Changing World.”
Delivering the keynote address, Mrs Emma Asare, Founder of the Rural and Deprived Community Outreach (RADCO), underscored the importance of sanitation as a fundamental human right. She stressed that the unequal distribution of sanitation facilities between urban and rural areas continues to affect national development.
She stated that: “If we truly want our rural communities to rise, then we must rise to meet their needs. Rural development rests firmly on two pillars: education that enlightens the mind, and sanitation that protects the body.”
Mrs Asare highlighted that poor toilet facilities in schools worsen absenteeism among girls, particularly during menstruation. Sharing a painful childhood experience, she explained how shame, lack of pads and misunderstanding from male teachers once made her school life unbearable.
She called for subsidised or free sanitary pads, improved menstrual education for boys and male teachers, and the construction of gender-sensitive toilets in rural schools.
Adding her voice, Nana Esi Ninsin VIII, Nyimfahembaa of Ekumfi Traditional Area, appealed for partnerships to support her sanitary pads donation drive and the renovation of the Amorkhor Art Haus Training Centre. She noted that ending menstrual poverty is crucial to keeping girls in school and protecting their dignity.
The District Director of Education, Ms Kafui Mary Ahlijah, also emphasised the link between sanitation and academic performance. She pointed out that cholera, dysentery and other sanitation-related diseases remain common in communities without proper toilet facilities, urging chiefs and community leaders to take responsibility for maintaining hygienic environments.
NGOs such as the Sankofa Care Initiative and Global Brigades supported the event with menstrual hygiene education, Smart Sanitary Kits and donations of sanitary pads.
The celebration concluded with a unified appeal for stronger partnerships to end menstrual poverty, eliminate open defecation and ensure that rural girls can learn in safety and dignity.
By: Yusuf Ibrahim Dadzie
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