Portia Prempeh believes being comfortable brings out the best in every player, especially women – which is why she is particularly wary of how period poverty has tainted her experience as a footballer in the Ghana Women’s Premier League.
On days when Portia did not have enough sanitary towels, she had to lie that she was not well enough to play. This is the case for most footballers in the league.
“The lack of sanitary towels has turned some of my teammates into people they aren’t,” she says. “For the love of playing football and for not wanting to miss their matches, they resort to stealing from their friends or teammates at camp.”
The 32.5% luxury tax imposed on foreign sanitary pads in Ghana creates a significant barrier for athletes earning less than 300 cedis (£15.40) from their day jobs and nothing from their clubs, making these products unaffordable. As a result, Prempeh and her teammates often opt for locally produced sanitary pads, which are more affordable but not ideal for athletes engaged in high-intensity sports.
“When I buy the cheaper options which have a very low absorbent power, it is easier for me to stain myself and that makes it difficult to give off my best in playing football,” Portia says.
She has sacrificed a lot to play football, even against her mother’s wishes, but having to work menial jobs to afford basic necessities is not sustainable and systemic hurdles are not helping either.
“I believe that the first aid kit in a women’s league should contain sanitary products but it’s rather sad we don’t have that,” Prempeh says. “My teammates and I have complained on countless occasions for this to be done.”
Estrogen levels decrease during periods and hormonal changes cause discomfort such as sweating, mood swings and cramps. According to Prempeh, whenever she cramps, her coaches still demand she put in 100%. “In my case, I usually start experiencing cramps before my period begins which makes playing difficult,” she says.
The situation is more pronounced when she is worried about possibly staining herself on the field. “When you complain, you are told: ‘There is no pain here,’” she says. “Which makes you feel guilty for feeling weak in the first place and offering only paracetamol isn’t enough to stop the cramps.”
Amid the whirlwind of challenges faced by young female athletes in Ghana, finding relief from systemic barriers often feels like a mirage. However, Sylvia Akwaboah, the founding member of Soccer for Dreamers, believes otherwise. Her unwavering dedication to addressing period poverty began when she discovered that many girls were missing five to seven days of school and football training every month because they couldn’t afford menstrual pads. To Akwaboah , this was unacceptable. Despite being based in the United States, she refused to let distance limit her ability to bring change.
Her solution came in the form of menstrual cups, a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to sanitary pads. Recognising that menstrual cups were unconventional in Ghana, where most girls were familiar only with pads, her plan was to shift the narrative. “The idea of the menstrual cups came about because I wanted a more sustainable way of solving the problem,” she says. “We sourced menstrual cups from donors and distributed them to the girls in the summer of 2022.”
However, her model went beyond distribution. Before receiving a menstrual cup, each girl participated in a detailed educational session that addressed menstrual hygiene and how to use the cups safely and debunked common myths about periods. This holistic approach was designed to help the girls feel comfortable and empowered.
Soccer for Dreamers, a non-profit organisation, is in partnership with the Ghana Football Association, which provides venues for menstrual educational sessions and helps identify girls in need of new football gear and menstrual cups.
The focus for now is on providing menstrual cups to players in division one. For Akwaboah menstrual cups offer freedom as well as a practical solution. “The menstrual cups are a cost-effective way to handle period poverty in the Ghana Women’s League,” she says. “They can last as long as 10 years, and to me that feels like buying freedom for these girls to engage in soccer with no hindrances.”
Period poverty in Ghana extends far beyond what non-profits can address alone. “These luxury taxes need to go away,” Akwaboah says. “Having a period is a necessity and not a luxury.”
In 2023, a private member’s bill was introduced in parliament to remove this tax, but progress has stalled. Although individuals such as Akwaboah continue to make a significant difference and show the power of grassroots action, long-term solutions require policy changes. For now, Akwaboah’s work provides young athletes with hope, dignity and the ability to pursue their dreams without interruption.
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