Empowering Girls in School

Dear Partner, It is yet another exciting moment to share with you progress that Songtaba is making around empowering girls in schools. During the period under reveiew Songtaba focused attention to monitor the progress of girls who were supported back to school through the re-entry policy. Songtaba continue to work with communities and key duty bearers to adopt strategies on how to expand opportunities for girls education

Songtaba has reached out to 37 teenage mothers in schools to encourage and support their retention and completion of education. Beneficiaries were among 1225 girls mobilized and empowered to lead their own development agenda at the partner schools. Each teenage mother was supported with some basic items tea items and education matreials to ensure their continuous stay in school and hope to improve on performance in school.

The activity is part of Songtaba’s effort to improve girl’s child education in line with Ghana education service re-entry policy. As a national policy in the country, the Ghana education service re-entry unlike other countries is developed to prevent pregnancy among school girls and ensure schoolgirls who get pregnant are given the opportunity to continue their education during pregnancy and after childbirth. The policy recognizes the right of every child to full cycle of basic education. The service seeks to promote universal access, retention, and completion of every child in Ghana.

19 years old Mariam, teenage mother at Bimbilla senior high school as an appreciation for the support had this to say, “The capacity building training from Songtaba has empowered me to gather confidence to pursue my life ambition without been demoralized with early birth. Even though there are few challenges in combining child care and academic work, especially when the child is still bread feeding, but that was should not an obstacles in achieving my life ambition. I therefore appealed to colleagues, not to see disability as inability, I was disabled by the pregnancy but it never affected my ability to go back to school, all thanks and praises be to Songtaba and partners for their continue support to empower girls in schools”

 Generally there has been an increase acceptance to the re-entry policy. Reports from the Ghana Education Service indicate a positive outcome in terms of gender parity and this program is one of the contributory factors to achieving this positive outcomes.

Girls club member sensitized on reproductive health rights at Nanumba

Adolescents face serious threats to their lives and health in the form of sexually transmissible infections (STIs), early pregnancy, and unsafe abortion. Reproductive health information, which can avert these threats or mitigate their impact on adolescents’ lives, are thus vital components of the rights to life and health. The rights to information and education provide direct support for adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health information . Adolescents are entitled to information about pregnancy- and HIV-prevention that is factual, unbiased, and comprehensive. The rights to information and education also entitle to all adolescents, including those who are pregnant or who have children, to continue their education and attend school.

In order for adolescents to enjoy the right to reproductive self-determination, they must be protected from sexual violence and abuse, as well as from discriminatory cultural practices. Considering this, Songtaba supported public health nurse at the Ghana Health service to sensitized school level girls club on their reproductive health rights. Miss Sualiha from Ghana health service reminded girls on their right to their bodies, no one has the right to cause discomfort or harm to your body unconsented. Any infringement on such rights should be reported to CHRAJ, DOVVSU, Social welfare, etc.

She stressed on girls rights to be free from sexual violence, According to her, no girls shall be sexually harass in any form, including physical such as any unwanted contact, ranging from intentionally touching, fondling , rubbing , groping, caressing, pinching, hugging or kissing to sexual assault or rape. Verbal form including socially and culturally inappropriate and unwelcome comments with sexual overtones such as incessant sexually suggestive jokes, sexually suggestive comments about person dress or body, made in their present or directed towards them. And non-verbal forms of sexual harassment include unwelcome gestures, suggestive body language, indecent exposure, lustful looks, repeated winks, gestures with fingers scratching the palms of a girl. It also include displays of pornographic materials, sexually explicit pictures, cartoon, icon, idols etc. Victims of such right violation should register their displeasure and report to teacher mentor or school authority. However if action persist such case should be reported to the established agencies such as CHRAJ, DOVVSU etc.

1225 girls’ club members across partner’s school in Nanumba were excited for the empowerment and hope to be vigilant in identifying, rejecting and reporting any  form culture of violence. This is what Attaah, 16 years old girl club members from lungni has to say, “I thank Songtaba for the sensitization, I can now identify sexual harassment, weather verbal or physical. I am also empowered to reject and report to the appropriate authorities within and outside school. I am much grateful for the education”.