Take Best Practices to Farmers in Rural Ghana

A couple we interviewd that is currently in the QPM program has 3 daughters; Elizabeth, Mary and Rose. It took Elizabeth, born on October 23, 2001, three years before she could talk. On September 14th, 2004, one of their other daughters, Mary, was born with a similar speech trait as her sister. Although she was growing, both she and her sister weren’t talking like the other children were. After three years, Elizabeth was able to talk, but Mary’s situation was different. She could listen but couldn’t respond. She was unable to socialize with friends and felt lonely most of the time.

On September 7, 2010 the couple gave birth to their third child, Rose.  They prayed all the time, hoping that Rose would be able to speak without any trouble. Fortunately, at age two Rose could talk but began to exhibit the attitudes of Mary and simply refused to speak. Her mother told our staff, “We felt helpless realizing our daughter would not speak not because she was not capable but she simply wanted to emulate her elder sister.”

Due to economic hardships and cultural norms, visiting the hospital was rarely part of the solution. The family never sought the help of a speech therapist. As times became more tough, and the parents were financially handicapped, Elizabeth was sent to the northern part of Ghana to live with her grandparents.

The family’s decision to take Mary to a special school for the deaf wasn’t an option because of their financial situation. They had no funds for school supplies and fees. Both parents’ eyes were filled with tears as they spoke to us, but they told us that our staff gave them hope. They said they motivated them to never give up.

In 2016, when SHI first met the parents, two of their daughters (Rose and Mary), attended elementary school in Beposo. Although they were not in the same grade, their proximity in grades was not helpful. They would not socialize or make friends with the other children. The Self-Help agriculture program staff advised that the two be separated as much as possible.  Rose was taken to a different neighboring elementary school. Both schools participate in the QPM feeding program; every morning children from all classes are fed breakfast prepared from quality protein maize.

Self-Help’s training center in Ghana provided the advice and support the parents were seeking to assist with Rose’s condition. We (SHI staff) worked with the daughter’s teacher to ensure she was receiving care. Her teacher was touched by our show of concern and commitment to the family. The teacher told us, “initially Rose felt very odd among her colleagues and could hardly pronounce a word but with her receiving the support she needs, she is now ok.”

With continuous monitoring care and attention, Rose currently pronounces few words which she could not pronounce at first. Her teacher went on to tell us,“although she isn’t completely at the level of her peers,  her condition is far better than when she first came here and I believe that she will be able to speak just like any of her classmates soon.”

The parents hope that with more training and opportunity to increase their earnings, they will be able to have their family reunited again.