Stop 368 Teen Girls in Ghana from Missing School

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.