We have identified that the girls and women in the community are at particular risk. We have witnessed trends such as: teenage single-mothers dropping out of school, child marriage, lack of gender balance in most professions, and a lack of sexual education. We, therefore, believe education women in our community and bringing awareness towards these trends would help us tackle these issues and allow us to support and encourage teenage mothers to return to school or support them in starting their own business or an apprenticeship.
The main challenge is lack of education of the women and girls in our community. Many do not know their rights or how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, many do not know where they can go to find help and support as still many families do not accept a teenage mother, often leaving them to face the struggle on their own. Also, many families have outdated views on the role of women and hence, due to a lack of education, they might even force their girl-child into child marriages.
TANF offers education for women in Ghana on how to protect oneself not only from unwanted pregnancies but also sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, we offer help to teenage mothers supporting their return back to school through TANF scholarships. We also support those who cannot return to school through apprenticeship training and livelihood or microfinancing projects. Finally, we aim to educate the entire community on the negative effects of child marriage and the importance of equality for all.
Long-term we believe we will not only address the issues of unwanted pregnancies but also see a drop in STDs and reduce the cases of child marriages. By empowering women in our community, providing them access to education and equal rights, we believe we will actively contribute towards greater economic development not only for our community in isolation but for Ghana overall, as the value local women can bring is currently lying dormant.
