"I now buy one cedi baby diapers and trim the edges to make them straight. My panty serves as a liner for the diaper, which absorbs the blood throughout the day. If I used sanitary pads, I'd have to replace them at least three times, which is costly."
To cope with the high expense of sanitary pads, Chorkor resident Ayeley does just that.
Depending on the brand, a single pack of sanitary pads costs between GHS 8 and GHS 12. The cost of sanitary pads has increased, as has the cost of everything else.
"At first, it was offered for $5.50 and $7.00, but now it's 9.00 and $10.00. As gasoline prices rise, so do goods prices." Dollah Mary The cost of sanitary pads isn't just driven up by taxes. The high cost of petrol, according to dealers, is also to blame.
The Ghana Revenue Authority's standards classify sanitary pads as luxury goods in Ghana. As a result, it is subject to a 20% import tax as well as a 12.5% added value tax.
For some women, this has made the product too pricey.
Hagar, a Chorkor resident, becomes nervous during her period due of menstruation pains, but the growing price of sanitary pads is also giving her heart palpitations.
"When a new month begins, I am concerned because we used to buy sanitary pads for 5 cedis, but now some are selling them for 8 cedis and others are selling them for 10 cedis," she adds. When I don't have enough money, I have to purchase toilet paper."
Hagar is a single mother and jobless. She is reliant on her uncle. She claims that when she runs out of money and wants to purchase a sanitary pad, she is too embarrassed to approach her uncle, so she is forced to use toilet paper until she can afford one.
Hagar isn't the only one who is unable to purchase pads. When she is unable to use the restroom, Jamila Mohammed, another resident, says she uses toilet paper.
"Imagine I'm menstruating and I only have 10 cedis in the morning," she says. Would I spend money on a pad and then starve? In the meanwhile, I need to bathe, which will cost me 1 cedi. After that, I have to pay 70 pesewas to use the restroom."
Buying at least three packs of sanitary pads for 24 cedis for around 5 days of menstruation is expensive for persons like Jamila, who earns about 20 cedis each day selling sachet water. They also figure out how to get by with the exorbitant expense of diapers.
"When I don't have enough money to buy diapers, I use toilet paper." I fold the toilet paper in half and use it to line my underwear. I use re-usable toilet paper.
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