Empowering Girls in School

Dear Cherished Donors!

Songtaba is excited to bring you progree report on our girls empowerment program for the period under review. A lot of capacity and confidence building activities have been designed and implemented with our girls in school. This report highlighs one of the significant milestones. 

To ensure girls effective practice of menstrual health and hygiene in schools, Songtaba for this Quarter sensitized and supported clubs to create sanitary banks in schools for constant availability of sanitary pads for menstrual health and hygiene management in school.  It is not uncommon that girls who experience menstruation for the first time, mostly find it difficult to manage themselves in school due to absence of sanitary pads. The victim may be ridicule by their male counterpart when soiled with this natural condition, and may feel shy and disgrace to return to school thereby increasing girl’s school dropout. To avoid future shame and disgrace, girls expecting their menstruation without alternative to manage, mostly absent themselves from school, resulting in poor performance and subsequent drop out. The sanitary banks shall provide sanitary pads as first aid to girls in school.

To commence these sanitary banks, each school received a box of sanitary pad and two manuals on menstrual health and hygiene management. The manual entitled ‘NO MORE SUFFERING IN SILENCE’ is an illustrated book that explains menstruation in the easiest way for girls who are yet to experience   menstruation. The book is based on practical, cultural and medical guidance to deal with menstruation through real life stories enacted with cartoon. Girls were expected to plan topics in the manual in to their termly action plan for in-depth discussion with resources persons.

The 1225 girl’s club members and 70 mentors in Nanumba could not hide their excitement but thank Songtaba for such wonderful initiatives and supports for girls in school. This is what 16 years old Ayisha, a girl’s club president from kassimiya has to say:

“Girls who soiled themselves with the natural monthly blood flow mostly find it difficult to return to school especially those ridiculed by their male counterpart. Out of 10 girls, only 2% can gather courage to return to school after such stigma experience. The few who build confidence to return find it difficult to concentrate in class because of mockery. The existence of sanitary banks in school shall guarantee our safe stay in school.  Girl’s periodic absenteeism will cease, and their performance in school improve”.

Dear Cherished Donors!

It is yet another exciting moment to share with you the Significant impact Songtaba is making in the lives of girls and young women with your support. Songtaba continue to organise training and engagement sessions with our target group of girls as new groups join while the old ones graduate to the next level of their educational carreer

Songtaba in the last quarter supported the guidance and counselling unit of Ghana Education Service to provide counseling services for girls club members on effective time management and how to overcome challenges of perceived difficult subjects in school. 1225 girls club from 19 schools across Nanumba North Municipal and South district benefited from the services.

Songtaba assessment of the performance of pupils especially girls in some some subject areas revealed some poor performance. This was as a result of poor time management on the part of the pupils to navigate through the various learning subjects they are supposed to study.

 Time is a major resources students needs to manage well for academic excellence. Daily activities of students needs to be prioritized and well planned to ensure equal time is given to all subjects studied in school. No subject should be considered more easy and important than the other, failure in a single subject can result in student inability to further her education. Girls were encouraged to form and adopt study groups for further and better explanation on concepts discuss in class. study groups offers students opportunity to share and adopt best practices and good studies strategies. The reource person indicated no subject is difficult but individual perception on a particular subject makes it difficult. She adviced girls to adopt and practice "the can do spirit" and remember there are women professors in mathematics and science (the so-called difficult subjects). These people should be source of motivation for girl to excel in the academic field.

The girls were futher exposed to how to set life goal and objective setting, personal goals and objectives motivate and prepare students to strive for the best. The engagement session also touched on how girls can select role models as a source of motivation to achieve life ambition. Such objective should be specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and time bound. case stories od personal life stories were shared with the girls to motivate them to emulate.

Girls were excited to learn new techniques and strategies to improve performance in school. They pledge to begin group studies in school for better understanding on concept discussed in class. They thanked the Guidance and Counselling unit of Ghana Education Service for sharing with them their rich experience for improved performance in school.

I hope you enjoyed reading our update and excited about the progress

Thank you