Empowering Girls in School

Dear Reader! Songtaba is happy to share updates with you on our Girls clubs activities 

Empowering girls in school project has worked with several girls to equip and build their capacities to engage positively with right stakeholders on their rights as well as secure a better fututre for themselves. Although girls enrollment in schools have significantly increase as a result of the constant sensitisation and education, there is still some gab that needs to be filled

The girls club members in their general quarterly meetings  discussed issues affecting them in school through the reporting systems that was introduced where pupils can make an unanimouse report without victimisation. The discussion focused on challenges from the school environment and home or community level. The girls having compiled the issues called for a meeting of all parents and guardians to discuss the issues.

The issues included child neglect and maintenance, inability of parent to support the needs of their children in school especially girls, upkeep of girls during menstruation such as provision of menstrual pads, toiletries. Also included in their challenges to stay in school are girls going to school on empty stomach (not provided with food and money to buy food). The meeting with parents included the head teachers and teacher mentors.

This is what Akusua, a 17 years old girls club president from one of the junior high school said to parents at the meeting. “After we have carefully analyzed issues and cases collated in our school within the term, we realized that our major challenge from our parents are their inability to provide us with sanitary pads and money for our upkeep in school especially those of us who leave far away from home and only comes home weekends. The men will sometimes take advantage of some of us if they provide us our needs and sometimes without the sanitary pads, we miss classes”

Parents were happy to listen to the girls and promised to discuss the issues at home and at general PTA meeting and also try to convince colleagues who are not in the meeting.