Stop 368 Teen Girls in Ghana from Missing School

Ama, a farmer of about 45 years old and mother of one at Beposo in the Ashanti Region of Ghana went about her daily farming activities without an inkling of her poor state of health until she participated in  a health screening exercise organized by Self-Help International in conjunction with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) at her community in December last year.

Ama, who has never undertaken a medical examination in her adult life, was shocked when the screening exercise uncovered her blood pressure was  high. She had been suffering from a high blood pressure in silence without the accompanying physical symptoms.

“I never knew I had high blood pressure because in the community in which I live, we never earn enough money to undertake medical examinations to know our state of health”.

"It is the presence of SHI in my community that has brought me the benefit of knowing my state of health and that my blood pressure is high," she said.

Following the outcome of the screening exercise, Ama was advised by the team to seek medical care to manage her blood pressure.

“I was asked to go and see a doctor. I had a National Health Insurance Card but no money to attend  hospital at the time. Eventually, it was the Health Insurance Card that I used to go to see a doctor for a medical examination,” Ama explained. 

“After the doctor examined me, he confirmed that my blood pressure is high and I told him it is the reason why I came to the hospital. Then he asked me how I knew my blood pressure was high and I told him it was uncovered during a health screening exercise in my community.”

“The doctor then provided me with medicine which he said I will be taking on a daily basis and I am to visit the hospital every month for my supply of the medicine. He said the medicine is to be taken continuously so I should always visit the hospital two days before the drugs are spent to avoid any breaks. Right now, I am on medication.”

“I am most grateful to Self-Help International because without their intervention, I would not have known that my blood pressure is high,” Ama said.

The health screening exercise which was organized by the Teen Girls Program is targeted at members of the Teen Girls club but was extended to include all members of the communities in which they operate since the wellbeing of the girls is ultimately tied to and determined by the wellbeing of their parents.

Grace Marfo, Team Lead of the Teen Girls Club, said the decision to target entire communities during screening exercises in communities that they work was due to a number of the club members experiencing a sudden loss of their parents which the management of the club perceives to be due to a lack of access to adequate medical care.

Hence, taking into consideration the impact that the  loss of a parent has on the welfare of the teen girls, the club found it necessary to include the entire community in their health screening exercise to reduce the incidence of preventable parental deaths in these communities.

Beposo was one of several communities that benefited from the health screening exercise. Other communities were Nkontomire, Bedabour, Kukuboso, and Timeabu. 

In all, a total of 481 community members were examined for various diseases during the health screening exercise during which the PPAG  also provided family planning services to 87 community members. 

Gifty, a 17-year-old from Timeabu in the Ashanti Region of Ghana who graduated from Self-Help International's Teen Girls Club in November last year, is confident that the knowledge and skills she gained from the club is a lifetime asset.

Gifty was a member of the Teen Girls Club which is being run at the Timeabu Municipal Assembly Basic School for teenage girls by Self-Help International for six years; having joined the club when she was in class three and remained a member until she finished Junior High School.

Enumerating what she gained from being a member of the club, she said she learnt about her menstrual cycle from the club as well as how to take care of herself during her menstrual period.  She also received instructions on how to communicate politely with elders and people in authority and how to speak in public.

In addition, she  received instructions on how to answer questions effectively during exams and even had the chance to go over some of her lessons which she did not understand in class at the time that they were being taught at the club which enabled her to understand and get a firmer grasp on these lessons.

She said, “The instructions I received from the club were good and have become part of me since I have retained everything in my memory and I believe that as I move on to senior high school, this knowledge will still serve me in my day to day activities.”

At a graduation ceremony at the Ejisu Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region where Gifty was one of four girls who graduated from the Timeabu Municipal Assembly Basic School Teen Girls Club,  the club performed a drama to showcase the ill effects of teenage pregnancy and how it can be avoided.

The drama, which was part of a community service project by the club, was attended  by the Assistant Headmaster of the school, teachers,  workers from the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG)  and some members of the community. They were impressed by its teachings and agreed that there was the need to help teenage girls stay away from unwanted pregnancies.

In all, a total of 36 girls graduated from Self-Help International Teen Girls Clubs last year from five communities with 12 girls graduating from Bedabour, seven girls from  Kukuboso, nine girls from Nkontomire and four girls from Beposo. All the 36 girls were presented with certificates by the club.  They hope to further their education by enrolling into senior high schools but are presently awaiting placements into senior high schools by the Ghana Education Service. 

The total membership of the Teen Girls Clubs which presently stands at 306 with 81 being newly registered members is on the increase since registration of new members is still ongoing at the schools.

The presence of the clubs in these communities has brought immense benefits to  its members not only in terms of higher grades at the junior secondary school final examinations but has also boosted their confidence level and made them more assertive.