'One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen...'

“Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution.” – Malala Yousafzai.

At Solutions for Life Initiative – Ghana we are passionate about enforcing these powerful words spoken by 16 year old Malala Yousafzai in her address to the United Nations earlier this year. Education IS the only solution. That is why when asked by the Afia Kobi Ampeme Girls Senior High School (AKAGSHS) to talk to their students about the opportunities that education can give them, SFLIG jumped at the chance.

Set amongst luscious grounds, AKAGSHS is an all-girls school with over 2000 pupils. On Tuesday, SFLIG was lucky enough to speak to over 700 of their Form One students in their week long orientation program. The theme of the day was education – particularly the importance of it; the ways in which it can transform their lives and the barriers that can prevent them from achieving their educational goals.

SFLIG used stories of inspirational women such as Ghanaian politician - Betty Mould-Iddrisu, 16 year old Pakistani student -Malala Yousafzai and the 24^th President of Liberia - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to highlight how education has changed the lives of these role models. These stories also taught the students about dedication and commitment – qualities that are particularly evident in President Ellen Sirleaf’s story. At the age of 17 Sirleaf was married with four young boys. Whilst the rest of her classmates were moving on to higher education in Liberia and the United States, she was left caring for her family. It was at this moment that Sirleaf developed her goal to become educated – an educated she became. With a degree in accounting and a master’s in public administration, Sirleaf demonstrates that whilst you may meet obstacles on your road to realizing your educational goal, you should never give up on them.

SFLIG also used questions to interact with and engage the girls. These interactions showed young women who are articulate, intelligent and ready to take on the world!  An activity where SFLIG asked selected students to provide advice to their fellow classmates highlighted these qualities even further and reinforced the idea that in order to achieve your goals you must remain focussed, be critical in the choices you make concerning friends and boys and keep your faith in God.

It was a privilege for SFLIG to facilitate this workshop! If these girls are to be our future leaders than we have no doubt that the world will be a better place.      

 

'I have decided to be educated...'

There is something uplifting about hearing 100 teenage girls singing ‘I have decided to be educated, I have decided to be educated, I have decided to be educated…no turning back, no turning back’! These were the words that were sung by over 100 girls at the Atwima Kwanwoma Focal Girls workshop held in the Foase district. Run by the Girl’s Education Unit (GEU), the day saw selected girls from neighbouring schools participate in a workshop aimed at improving the strength of girls club within the district.

Having partnered with the GEU, SFLIG was lucky enough to not only attend the day but to also facilitate some of the main activities. With the key objectives being to highlight the importance of girl’s education, address the challenges faced by girls in their educational journey and develop leadership skills of the participants, Solutions utilised practical activities that strengthened the communication techniques of the participants and built their self-esteem as leaders. GEU supplemented the practical sessions of SFLIG with sessions that discussed girl’s education, self-esteem, adolescents and challenges that face teenage girls in Ghana.

GEU runs girls clubs throughout Ghana to support and guide teenage girls in their academic and personal pursuits. Within them, facilitators work on academic skills whilst also tackling the issues facing teens. The girls who attended this workshop were selected with the vision that they would become leaders of the girls club within their school, which would reignite or strengthen the already established clubs. In schools where the club was not established, these girls would be used to aid teachers in the development of a club.

Girl’s education within Ghana continues to have many challenges with over 44% of adolescent females not attending secondary school. The reasons for these low attendance scores are many – teen pregnancy, inadequate financial support, social stigmas, and lack of educational aspiration – but girls clubs, such as SFLIG’s Change Makers Ambassadors Club, are an excellent way to mentor and guide teenagers so that they make the right decisions for their future.

SFLIG’s final point of the day was to ask the girls to make a commitment to themselves and those girls who they intend to lead – a commitment to work hard at their education and to support those around them to do the same. This commitment was symbolised by their collective thumbprints and names. With numerous girls commenting on how the workshop had empowered them with new knowledge and skills, it was clear that the day had achieved its desired outcomes. And as always, SFLIG was honoured to be part of such a program and to contribute to the learning of these future leaders. 

 

It's on again....SFLIG's annual 'When You Eat, They Eat' Christmas Event!!

This week sees the launch of one of SFLIG’s biggest events – the ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ annual Christmas picnic. For the past two years, Solutions for Life Initiative – Ghana has provided over 1000 underprivileged children in Kumasi with a Boxing Day they won’t forget. Held at the luscious grounds of the Cultural Centre, this event has provided street children and orphans with more than just a meal at Christmas – it has provided them with a day where they can experience the joy and sense of belonging that Christmas is renowned for.

From the moment the first child arrives to the time that the last one departs, this day is full of activity. There is the jumping castle, which continually provides a ‘wow’ factor with the kids – the lines never seem to go down! Then there is the face painting tent, where kids have been transformed into butterflies, super heroes or something from their own imagination. The horseback riding, which is not for the faint hearted and of course, the classic dancing chairs – a game that never fails to provide spills and thrills. And this is just to name a few!! All this activity creates a healthy appetite and the food and drinks do not disappoint! However, lunch time is not just about feeding that appetite. One of the main objectives of the day is to ensure that these children are given the opportunity to share a meal and be merry with each other and with the larger community, particularly volunteers and sponsors. The title ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ is symbolic of this concept – those from the larger community sharing with children who they may have seen selling on the street corner earlier that week. It is one of the reasons that make this celebration so unique – children leave the day with a full belly, yes, but more than that, they leave feeling joy and love.

For volunteers of the event, this day begins early! Before the first child arrives there are chairs to set up, jumping castles to blow up, stalls to erect, beverages to be chilled, banners to be posted – the list goes on and continues to grow throughout the day. However, despite this long list, every year volunteers continually talk about the joy this day brings them. It is Saint Francis who stated ‘It is in giving that we receive’ – a fitting quote to detail what all volunteers experience at the ‘When You Eat, They Eat’ event.

In 2013 we are looking to make this day even bigger and better. There will be more activities, including arts and crafts, Christmas story telling and a souvenir picture with Santa himself, a wider range of games and even more variety in the food and drinks. But, we need your help! We at SFLIG are calling upon you good people to give a special gift this Christmas – it could be the gift of your time through volunteering; it could be a financial donation at our gofundme.org account                                      ( http://www.gofundme.com/4cbluc ) or it could be a donation in kind (please contact infor@sflig.org) – whatever you choose to do, please know that every little bit helps in making this day a success. Thank you in advance for your help, we’re looking forward to sharing the stories of the day with you all soon!

 

'Inspire to Aspire' Retreat Day 2013

On the 10^th of August, 62 teenage girls from around the Ashanti region participated in Solutions for Life Initiative – Ghana’s (SFLIG) first annual ‘Inspire to Aspire’ retreat day. Set amongst the luscious landscape of the KNUST Botanical Gardens, the program saw adolescents participate in a variety of activities aimed at challenging and inspiring them to ‘aspire’ to education.

The day began with sixty strong female voices yelling “Be the change you want to see in the world” – the catchphrase of SFLIG’s Change Makers Ambassadors clubs. Dedicated to educating and mentoring adolescent females in the Kumasi region, these clubs provide the girls with a safe and supportive environment to explore and discuss relevant issues and topics. As many of the Change Makers faces were new to each other, the first port of call was to ‘break the ice’ with a fun and engaging activity. A ‘cheerleaders’ interpretation of the classic ‘scissors, paper, rock’ did the trick as within minutes, each of the girls were shouting each other’s names. It was then time to focus on one of the key themes of the day – highlighting the strength and abilities of each individual girl. In Ghana, low self-esteem is a real barrier to education, many girls don’t believe they are worthy of gaining an education or that they have the ability to do so.  It was therefore SFLIG’s mission to incorporate this theme into each of the sessions so that the participants may understand and see the potential that lies within them.

Another key goal of the day was to challenge and inspire the girls to see the possibilities that await them if they invest in their education. To achieve this goal, SFLIG enlisted the help of several female professionals from a variety of different professions including a lawyer, dentist, teacher, entrepreneur, nurse, police and fire women and a biochemist. Speaking about their educational journeys and the challenges they faced whilst on them, each of the women discussed similar topics – each highlighted the need to be dedicated to and focussed on the goals the girls want to achieve; each spoke of the strength they had gained from God’s love; each spoke about the dangers of becoming involved with boys from a young age; each emphasised the role education has and is playing in making their dreams a reality and lastly, but maybe most importantly, each spoke of the hope that education provided for them.  These guest speakers were able to provide a message that resonated with many of the girls – anything is possible if you believe and invest in you.   

One particular story that emphasised the hope that education brings is that of Joyce Nartey – a young woman who is working hard to make a past mistake into a brighter future. Joyce was an adolescent when she engaged in unprotected sex with her boyfriend resulting in her contracting HIV and becoming pregnant. Whilst many would have let this mistake dictate the rest of their lives, Joyce saw it as an opportunity to educate other young girls about the dangers of engaging in sex from a young age. Having now completed fashion school as a designer, dancer and actress and welcomed two young children into the world, Joyce’s story speaks of the way the girls can overcome challenges through education.

The final activity of the day was one that required the girls to reflect on their own hopes and dreams for the future. In taking the time to contemplate the goals that they wished to achieve, these young women took positive steps towards making their dreams a reality. To symbolise these steps, each girl used their unique thumbprint to make a commitment to themselves and SFLIG that they will move forward from the day with the lessons they have learnt and their ambitions at the forefront of their minds (see pictures below). And as the last ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ rang out, it was clear that each girl had been challenged and inspired to think about what their future could and should look like.