Photo by Patience Osei Brenyah | July 2, 2026
New Abirem, Eastern Region, Ghana
Girls outside a school in Ghana’s Birim North District hold up paper bags bearing the words “Purple Peach Project”. Inside are supplies that will support them for months to come.
Behind this moment is a recurring barrier to education. Some girls miss several days of school each month because they cannot afford sanitary pads to manage their periods.
Their experience is part of a wider challenge. The World Bank estimates that around 500 million women and girls lack access to menstrual products for their periods. A natural part of life can become a barrier between a girl and her classroom.
To help address this obstacle, Zijin Golden Ridge, a gold producer, partnered with the Ghana Chamber of Mines to bring the Purple Peach Project to the country’s Eastern Region. The initiative provided 1,036 schoolgirls in the company’s host communities with approximately eight months’ supply of menstrual hygiene products, alongside awareness sessions on menstrual health and hygiene. The sessions aimed to help girls understand and feel comfortable with their bodies. By encouraging open discussion of menstrual health, the initiative seeks to challenge long-standing silence and stigma and support girls’ dignity in education.
The supplies meet an immediate need. The lessons provide knowledge that girls can draw on.
Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey described the initiative as more than a donation: “It is an investment in dignity, confidence, education and the future of Ghana.”
Derek Boateng, Senior Manager for Sustainability and External Relations at Zijin Golden Ridge, also noted: “Development is not only about roads and bridges. It is also about dignity. No girl should miss school or lose confidence simply because she lacks a basic necessity.”
The initiative forms part of Zijin Golden Ridge’s community programs in the Eastern Region, spanning education, infrastructure, and livelihoods. For these 1,036 girls, its value is immediate and personal: one less concern in the months ahead and more room in their minds for lessons, dreams, and ambitions.
About Zijin Mining
Zijin Mining is a leading global metals and mining company and one of the world’s largest producers of gold, copper, and zinc. The company has more than 30 large-scale mining operations and projects across 19 countries on 5 continents. Leveraging strong in-house research, engineering, and development capabilities, Zijin maintains high operational efficiency and low costs in both acquisitions and operations. This enables the company to be an industry leader in value creation, underpinned by its philosophy of pursuing development for all and sustained by superior environmental, social, and governance performance. Zijin’s shares trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2899) and the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE: 601899).