Access to Safe Abortion in post 2015; What Needs To Change For Women And Girls.

September 28 is the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion. The day has its origin in Latin America and the Caribbean where women’s groups have been mobilising around September 28 over the last two decades to demand their government to decriminalise abortion, to provide safe and affordable abortion services and to end stigma and discrimination towards women who have abortion.

Over the years, the discussion on access to safe and affordable abortion services have advanced in global advocacy spaces for the health, rights and well being of girls and women. But what does this mean to young girls in Ghana?

I recently lead a group discussion among young people between the ages 10-24 in the Teshie and Nungua communities in the Greater Accra region of Ghana to gather statistics and other evidence on the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Maternal Health challenges among young people on the CSE4All project with support from Women Deliver and the findings are revealing.

Nationally, among adolescent young girls in Ghana, 3 out of 5 pregnancies are unplanned, and 16 percent of all abortions occur among girls between the ages 15-19 as described by the Demographic Health Survey 2014.. The situation may vary from community to community but it is more disturbing for young people in these communities.

It is quite disturbing that despite the successes in ensuring the health, rights and wellbeing of women, girls and all as supported by the International Human Right declarations and the global development agenda, many girls and women continue to be shamed for accessing safe abortion services. 

Two years after she had an abortion, the 19 year old cannot publicly participate in discussions on SRHR or maternal health. For her, the stakes are high for yet another ridicule or shame. She still goes through stigma among her female counterparts and boys/men alike. “Until now, I never thought I could share my experience but I am doing this for other young girls reading to learn from me. I am sharing my story because, it will save lives.” She says.

For Teki, a 20 year old mother of a 5 year old son, it is easier for girls in her age group to receive post-abortion care at the health centres than comprehensive abortion care services. 

For many young girls like her, the fear of counselling and the experience with some health workers who may stand in their way to safe services due to lack of training, poor attitudes of health workers towards them, affiliations with faith and their rights to privacy and confidentiality against the community who already ridicules them for being pregnant at a young age.

A quick way out in such dilemma is to mix herbs, broken bottles and other known harmful ways of abortion out of desperation and they mostly end up in the health centres when complications get critical.

This is where health workers work round the clock to save the situation without any of the earlier challenges/fears expressed by Teki.

With coverage from the national health insurance, professionalism of health workers to save the situation in a supportive environment by all, “young girls will always prefer to visit the health centre with complications if things do not change”. She added.

The question however remains, who changes what?

The law on abortion in Ghana clearly states the legal indications under which abortion is permitted as stated in the criminal offences Act 1960 (ACT29) section 58 to section 59 as;

(i) When the pregnancy stands as a risk to the life or injury to the physical or mental health of the woman.

(ii) When conception was a result of rape, incest, defilement of Mentally Challenged woman.

(iii) When there is a substantial risk that foetus has or will have serious abnormality or disease

Legally, girls and young women have the rights to access safe abortion services, health workers are protected legally as well as by standards and protocols in the health system however attitudes, beliefs and society’s outlook on abortion continue to change gradually.

Perhaps if we critically examine the issue with a public health lens, preventing the severe complications and injury that many young girls go through today and be less judgmental, provide more education on their SRHR. The global discourse on safe abortion services will impact and save more lives

“Some girls deliver like I did, but others have abortions using all sorts of herbs. They don’t have a choice because their partners (the men/boys) and the community pressure them to do it.”-Teki

 And perhaps, the situation shared by Teki , will improve.

Getting on the road to 2030; Oko Speaks on International Youth Day.

Every year, the world celebrates International Youth Day on 12^th August and today (Friday, the 12^th of August 2016) is not an exception. The exceptional thing about this year’s international youth day however is the theme: “On the road to 2030: Eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable production and consumption”. One would ask, what is on the road to 2030? Nana Chair, Hon. Minister, may you grant me the permission to be your wise young man to take you through the journey.

The road itself is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on this road, there are 15 speed ramps, these ramps are the milestones we will celebrate on every international youth day and today is the first. On this same road, there are 169 road signs; these are the targets for the SDGs. If we miss the signs (targets), there are chances of road accidents or we miss our way to reaching a successful 2030. Do not forget the traffic lights we see on the roads, they are the indicators. They give us time to think over some of the imbalances on the road when it shows a red light! Why some roads are nicely tarred and others with potholes.

Why some are not tarred at all and others are eroded by the rains. Do you remember the uneven distribution of resources in our communities? That is what I am talking about. The red light gives us an amount of time to reflect over these imbalances and quickly re-strategise to make up for the losses. And when the traffic lights gives a green light, we are convinced to be doing something right and we exchange ideas with the rest of the world and keep moving on to a successful 2030.

This time round, young people (you and I) contributed to developing the SDGs, we were part of making the road to 2030 and therefore we have no reason to complain. I remember about 3 years ago, some advocates from Curious Minds including myself and our coordinator, Mr. Kingsley Obeng-Kyereh interacted with different groups of people in some selected communities on the post-2015 development agenda. Many other young people contributed online and in different spaces. Therefore, instead of complaining of how bad our roads or the system is, we need to ask ourselves. How can I eradicate poverty in my own way? How can I contribute to efforts to increase production to meet the consumption needs of our people?

Now, if we all turn away from agriculture, who will feed us on the road to 2030? Before you think about it, let me tell you about some amazing young people who are doing this and how.

Alfred Godwin Adjabeng, a young man who works on the  Ghana School Farms Project where senior high school students feed their schools from harvests made from their school farms. Justice Kingsley Baidoo is a journalist by profession but runs a poultry farm  simultaneously. John Armah heads a company called Orios Group, but manages a farm. Let me tell you about about my former colleague at Marie Stopes International Ghana, Christabel Afrane, who mentors young girls to take up careers in agriculture and the amazing Reuben Griffths Bekoe, a young man who cycled across Ghana in 3 months and recently walked from Kumasi to Accra to raise awareness in order to raise funds to treat children with cleft lips and cancer respectively. 

I am also working to reduce maternal mortality occasioned by unwanted and unexpected pregnancies in the greater Accra region on the CSE4All project with support from Women Deliver. 

So you see, before you complain of the imbalances or inequalities on the road to 2030, many young people are already making sure Ghana wins the race. It is your choice to crawl, walk, ride, drive, fly or use any form of technology on the road but make sure Ghana wins. This is because we are in this race on the road with over 3.5 billion young people under the age of 30 all around the world. 

Now just take a moment and listen, If all the people I mentioned earlier and all young people have no access to quality education and skills development, adequate information on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), good career guidance, mentoring and growing up in an environment that supports their goals, what will become of them?

The girls will drop out of school, and become mothers at an early age, the boys will father many children they cannot take care of, and all of us will be unskilled to work in order to earn a living. The poverty cycle continues…

And this is why we are here today. The National Youth Authority (NYA), United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), Marie Stopes Int’l Ghana (MSIG), Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) The Palladium Group and other partners to commemorate international youth day and also to charge us to live responsible lives, make the right choices on our SRHR, think out of the box; be creative and entrepreneurial and make the best out of the resources we have as young people. So let’s get on the road with solutions and put aside complains.  

Francis Oko Armah, Curious Minds, Ghana.

Thank you.

"Young people are the best to speak about their own issues"

I am Francis Oko Armah, everyone calls me Oko. I come from Teshie, a town located along the coast of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. My people mainly engage in fishing and other related activities which have remained the main source of income for years. I live with a great mix of amazing neighbors, lots of little children, ambitious young girls, and women as well as a bunch of great boys with so much energy! I enjoy helping others solve their problems, playing with the children in my community, and writing.   

 (Photo: Arianna Santagati)

However, I live with special people in my community. These are pregnant young girls. Pregnant girls with brilliant ideas and dreams of their future who unfortunately seem lost as they become mothers at a very young age. Perhaps if they had access to adequate information and clearly understood the changes in their bodies as they grow into adulthood, the future might look brighter.

In addition to these challenges, I realized that there is a huge knowledge gap about basic SRHR, and how it can contribute to improve a person’s quality of life. Unfortunately, it was a lesson that even I learned late, after I nearly lost my mom and a cousin, and discovered I had lost three other sisters due to maternal and childbirth-related complications. If my mother—and any of the other women in my community—had access to SRHR information from a younger age, perhaps she would have understood the risks and sought help.If I have lost people because of the lack of SRHR and maternal health education, I strongly feel that nobody else should, and I can make that change! This recognition has driven my interest in promoting youth sexual and reproductive health in my community and beyond.

In 2013, I attended the International Conference on Family Planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and I was

blessed to meet a passionate and vibrant group of young people with similar interests, and who understood the realities

 in my community. I joined the movement and the International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP)

 was born.

Photo: Birgitta Lund

It feels like a dream come true not only for me but for all young people who have been a part of the initial stages in forming IYAFP, how young people with support from inspiring leaders can lead a movement for the benefit of all and not only young people.

Since those early days, the experience has been good and IYAFP has made great strides. The efforts of the executive team, founding members, country coordinators, mentors, donors, and all other stakeholders have been impressive.

The Euro Monitor, in 2012, stated that half of the world’s population today—over 3.5 billion people—is under 30, and mostly living in developing countries. Reflecting on the journey of IYAFP, It evidently shows why young people are very vital and equal stakeholders in the efforts to improving health in their communities. Young people are the best to speak about their own issues, familiar with the dynamics of the issues as they exist in their communities, and are active drivers of social change. Our significance therefore shows that whether we are meaningfully engaged or not at all, the difference in results will be clear.

The CSE4ALL Project is targeted at providing relevant and timely sexual and reproductive health information to 1,000 young people between the ages of 10-24 by creating a platform to facilitate dialogue between policy makers, youth advocates, and service providers on specific SRHR policies and the critical role they play in addressing SRHR/maternal health challenges in Ghana. This project hopes to contribute to an increased awareness of maternal mortality and unplanned pregnancy. However, thanks to Women Deliver and their entire staff’s support, it is the beginning of a bigger dream to empower women, girls, young people, men, and all to make informed choices in safe health services to achieve the global goals.

It is 2016, and it is about time for all young people to know that they are more than just young people. You do not need to lead a delegation to be a leader, you only have to realize that your ideas and selfless efforts to make change already makes you a leader. But, you have to take action to make those dreams come to reality. Young people are leaders all around the world and never forget that you are one of them.

Originally posted by LMG for Health

Reposed on Women Deliver 

'Women Need Services....So I started with my mom'.

My name, Oko, where I come from, is a generic name for “first male twins.” So, logically, if people hear [my name], “Oh, you’re Oko, you’re a twin!” And then I got to wonder, “Oh, yes, I am a twin, because everybody with my name is a twin.” But I realized I don’t have a twin brother or a twin sister, so what am I? A single twin? 

I started asking questions—you know how curious I can be. I was asking my mom, I was asking my grandmother. My dad won’t even talk about it anyway. So it’s quite fishy because you go to school and people ask, “You’re Oko, where is your twin?” And you go, “Okay, so Mom told a few lies, covered up, my twin lives elsewhere.” But you know as I grew to the age of 10, 12, 13, still more questions. I was getting curious, and it was at that same age I was experiencing changes in my body, trying to understand all that is happening. 

Then one time I was just—I’m always reading—I was grabbing a few books and some antiques at home, and I found my birth certificate. It was wrapped with my twin sister’s birth certificate. So I’m like, “Oh, wow, I have a twin! That’s her birth certificate—it’s true!” So I was very happy, and then I walked to Grandma: “You guys weren’t telling me the truth. Where is my twin sister?” 

And she was like, “Okay, fine. I give up. I’m fed up. I can’t keep telling lies anymore, I have to tell you the real story.” I lost my twin sister, two weeks after birth, and you see right after that, the next child that my mother brought—she also lost it because it was a stillbirth. Then I had to understand that my mom had previously been through a lot, and it was a woman’s issue, so she found it very hard to discuss, especially with me when I was a child asking all those questions. I understood my mom and understood my grandmother. Digging deep, I found out that even before I was born, there was another girl that was given birth to, but my mom also lost her. I was much, much younger then, but I also had to understand the trauma, the pain that she’s been through. 

I was like, “Okay, what can I do about this?” I was still trying to actually understand what had happened. Looking around the same community, I realized my mom was not the only one who had been through that. There were many young women who had probably suffered one complication or another who were not accessing services. So as curious as I was, I went around asking very weird questions like, “Would you visit the midwife or the clinic if you had any problem?” They were like, ”Oh, no, me go to the midwife or nurse? No, no, no. They’ll treat me badly; I won’t go!” So I asked the young girls, “Are you comfortable with your body?” Even then, I was trying to understand what was happening to me, seeing a beard and all sorts of things. I was trying to understand, and I asked people, and I realized there’s a huge gap. 

Women need services. If my mom had understood her body and knew what was happening within when there were complications or problems, she could have figured it out, walked to the health center or clinic, or sought counsel or services or something. But I have to trace it back to even when she was growing as a young girl—she had no information or services…. I realized then that much more of the women like my mother in my community need education. They need some basics…. 

Earlier when I started educating women and talking to girls, I had to start the education right at home before I stepped out…. So I started with my mom, to get real basic anatomy of her body and how things function, periods, very basic reproductive health…. She’d open up to me about some really bad things that she’d been through. That was a turning point—if this is a point I can come to with my own mother to make sure that she’d get the right services, and she’s really up to her game, she knows what to do at what time, then, yes, I can go out and do it. 

Photographer: David Alexander

Interviewer: Liz Futrell

Originally posted on  The Knowledge for Health (K4Health)  project and  Family Planning 2020's Family Planning Voices (#FPVoices) 

If you follow Humans of New York, you understand the power of a simple image and a few words. Data is essential for successful programming, but stories compel people to take action.

The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project and FP2020 created Family Planning Voices (#FPVoices) to document and share real stories from real people around the world who are passionate about family planning.

We hope you’re inspired by these narratives as we are.

PICKING UP THE BROKEN PIECES!

Exploring new adventures could be the most fun part of growing up. Trying new recipes in the kitchen or experimenting reagents in the lab could be fun for the people who love it. At the peak of events, one easily forgets the entire rule that applies as expectations for the end product run high; be it a mug of smoothies or simple titration, with just a little twist of events, the entire moment becomes sour. That moment when the beaker or lid made of glass breaks on the floor, then the infamous rule echoes in the mind “breakages and leakages are payable”, and if you find yourself in the kitchen, prepare for mum’s never ending scolding. This is where one blames any other person within the immediate environment but when left alone, bowing to look at the broken pieces on the ground doesn’t come easy. 

Then comes the more important part, how do you pick up the broken pieces? If only you could turn back the hands of time and re-write the lines, I know you would, but what will be your way forward? Pretend it never happened? Or just move on? A quick reminder before you decide; to pick up the broken pieces, you may want to wear gloves; that’s caution. You also need courage to go on the floor, optimism to fish out every broken piece, resilience for protection against injury, just in case it happens you need immunity to stand and overcome the pain while at it. Perhaps finding the rubbish collector and a brush will ease the process. Those are the real people in life you seek counsel and comfort in picking up the broken pieces. Either way, the experience is bound not to be an easy one. The end result: a different meaning to life in a whole new world.

That is the story of Regina, a teenage mother at age 15 on PICKING UP THE BROKEN PIECES.

FIGHTING TO DREAM

Today on my blog, I feature a guess blog post from the remarkable work of Jennifer Grom, a youth advocate from the United States.

FIGHTING TO DREAM is a documentary filmed by Jennifer Grom in Ajijic, Mexico in August 2014.

In Ajijic, Mexico, the “small” costs of attendance, likely considered negligible by the middle and upper-class policy-makers, are actually serving as insurmountable barriers to education for the poorest of the poor. This film documents the existence of these barriers despite Mexico’s education system that is labeled “free”.
The purpose of this documentary is to raise awareness about this issue and to remind us of why all children, no matter how poor, should have equal access to quality education. 

FIGHTING TO DREAM is a Save A Future with Education production, funded by a grant from The State University of New York at Geneseo Alumni Association. 

It’s important to recognize that this is a global issue. Throughout the world, so-called “free” education systems are often not synonymous with education systems that are equally accessible to young people from poor families. This is not just happening in the developing world, it’s happening in fully developed nations as well.
The documentary has already been previewed and praised by the Chief Justice of Ghana, Georgina Theodora Wood during her visit to Geneseo, NY in April 2015. 

All friends who share in fighting the dream should join us on facebook by liking FIGHTING TO DREAM-DOCUMENTARY FILM and sharing as well.

The video premiers today the 10th June 2015 and already making waves on youtube. Do you share in fighting to dream? Click on the video right below.

Jennifer Grom graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2015 from The State University of New York at Geneseo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and an Honors minor. Jennifer also studied Humanities at the University of Oxford. She will be attending medical school for her Medical Doctorate this fall. Jennifer is Co-founder and President of the Save A Future with Education (S.A.F.E.) scholarship program, as well as, the Helping Orphans by Providing Essentials (H.O.P.E.) program. Jennifer served as an International Youth Delegate at the 2014 World Conference on Youth where she advocated for all young people to have equal access to quality education and healthcare. In 2011, she aided Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDP) in El Sauce, Nicaragua by conducting field research aimed to adequately assess the local health needs. She saw this preliminary research as essential to optimally allocating limited resources in a way to maximize the benefit to the local poor.

10 REASONS WHY AFRICA DIED 2

Lovely followers and readers, Africa continues to tell us how it all happened. Your comments and contributions have been amazing. If you remember correctly, Africa had funny ideas of dealing with her current problem, after several attempts to get in touch with Ike, who was nowhere to be found.
If you're reading about Africa for the very first time, don't worry. Get to know more about her in my previous post. You will love it Now, Grab a chair, it's about getting started. 

6.  This is a Miracle! Ike showed up. Finally, he is here to shower more love on me. He says this time, with a permanent solution. I knew Ike is my Adam and he shows it every time. Only that he went missing for a short while, but he is back to the rescue. My savior!

He brought pills that will help me flow normally. He said I will be fine and nothing will happen to me. However, I think I need to be sure.

Aba has been very good. She agrees I have to be sure, so she brought me a pregnancy test kit and all our suspicions were proved right. Aba brought yet another kit, it looks kind of funny, and it has a stick as that of an ice cream spoon. Oh Lord. An HIV test Kit? Was it that necessary? I mean how? I look just fine once I get a solution for this problem I’m good to go. I asked Aba where she got these kits, but she is adamant to tell me.  

Eeeerrrm what should I say? Maybe I should get some fresh air outside. It’s getting hot in here. Do you think an HIV test kit was necessary at that point in time? I’ll be right back. But before that… (Aba helped Africa through the testing process amicably as they wait for the results)
    

     7. My heart began to beat faster, What if I’m HIV positive? How can I deal with it? Ike is a good guy; he can’t be possibly living with HIV. No, this can never be true. Aba kept saying I can never be his only sexual partner, but he always promises I am the bone of his bones and the flesh of his flesh. How can he cheat on me? I don’t believe it. Aba kept asking many questions which I bet she knew answers to. But how could I have known? Is this what mum was saying all along? I wish mum was clearer.

Pregnancy confirmed! This is not good news for Africa. I guess she wouldn’t have been worried that much if Aba had not brought the HIV Test kit. Have you thought about where this happened? Eeerrm (scratches head) at night, in the school washroom, when all the students were in bed. Or so it was believed. Meanwhile at that very moment,

As if I saw your woman with her friend enter the washroom my guy” Ike’s friend-Osei whispered into his ears. That cannot be true. Perhaps she wasn’t feeling well. “Hope you haven’t fired the thing” Osei mocks him. Ike stood and left the dormitory in guilt and anger. Osei found a white substance on Ike’s bed.

(The test is ready-Africa quickly goes nearer to see the test)  See, it shows two lines, one on the C and the other on the T.  Do you know what that means? I asked Aba and she says it looks like I’m HIV positive? How can that be? We only did it twice, Ike doesn’t look like anyone who has an infection, it can never be true. We had sex only twice the way he wanted. Just twice. Ike is fine, he cannot be HIV positive. Something is wrong with the test, I know Aba is a good friend, but she shouldn’t have brought this test. I frankly told her.

Confusion sets in, Africa blamed Aba for the results and Aba blamed Africa for not using protection and did it Ike’s way. The blame game gets tougher than the game of thrones. Don’t forget Osei’s suspicions have been confirmed; the white substance contains a mixture of popular drugs boys give to their sexual partners to terminate pregnancies. Meanwhile, early the next morning as Africa walks with Aba together to class…

  8. I can see Osei and the other boys staring at us under the tree close to the counselor’s office. What could they be possibly talking about? I know they are jealous of me, Ike came ahead of them and proposed; now they are jealous and gossiping all on campus. Now I know boys gossip more than girls. Whatever they say, I don’t care. Wait a minute, Mr. Anum (the school counselor) is coming right behind them, I bet he could hear whatever they’re talking about. Aba, quickly let’s get to class before he sees us.

Aba just told me about a much quicker solution, either we go to one “Eno Yaa” who will solve my problem or I take a mixture of concentrated coffee, bottles and a lime juice with water. I heard it works faster. I seriously need to visit the school sick bay, at least to confirm my HIV test too, but the issue will  spread throughout this school in seconds. News spread in this school faster than Radio Ghana and I fear people will find out, and then it will get to my mother, OMG! That will be my end. I am finished, the whole church will then hear about it. That will be my end. Aah! I can hear the sound of the school siren. What is happening? I hope there is no emergency.

Did you get the name of the empress? She is the number one solution to many young girls faced with Africa’s situation. Mind you, the sound of the siren was not a joke, it had brought a big blow to all students. Mr. Anum heard Osei and the other boys talking under the tree in front of his office. They mentioned Ike “firing” one girl under. He calls the entire student body to inquire from them who the girl was, but no answer came. Ike vanished from the scene upon hearing his name. He swears to teach Osei a lesson. This is where students began whispering their never ending questions? Come to think of it, where was Africa in all of this?

As I walk to the assembly grounds, I saw Ike walk briskly to the male dormitory; he hardly gave me any attention. I can see he is infuriated by something. Then Aba also grabbed me by the hand to the washroom again. This is serious, I asked what had happened that has got everyone acting funny but Aba never answered. She quickly grinded the broken bottles and mixed with the beverage she mentioned earlier. As much as I would not want to drink, I had to; it is better to solve this issue now than everyone hears about it.

Back in the classroom….

I could hear the girls talk about a pregnant student, I don’t know why but I feel so uncomfortable hearing them talk about me. I can’t concentrate in class and I can feel pains too but I can’t hold back as much as I would want to. Aba looks very concerned but faking her gestures not to get everyone’s attention. I am just waiting for break time to go for medicine. I can’t take it any longer.

Thank God the siren finally rang for break. I thought these pain killers could reduce my pain but it’s getting worse. The next teacher will notice my pains in class, I can’t go back. Aba said we should go to Eno Yaa for a much quicker solution. I hear she is very confidential and no one would find out about it. I’m sure she can confirm my true HIV status and won’t tell anyone no matter the status. But before that, Aba is gone to grease the hands of “Ayitey Powers” (the security man) When that is done, there wouldn’t be any friction getting out of school, no need for long processes for exeat. The quicker, the better. Remember, No one must know about this.

And so it came to pass, by the power invested in “Ayitey Powers” The security man. Africa and Aba left for Eno Yaa’s trusted enclave under confidential terms elevated by the power of the few Ghana Cedi notes greasing his palm. Need I say more? Somebody had a bad day!! Ike grabbed Osei to the prefect’s court; smashed his face and left him with a broken arm. Yes, he thinks he deserves it for having a loose mouth but I thought Osei was as fit as his loose mouth, to crash Ike down; It turns out he is not as fit as he claims he is. Experience sure is the best teacher heheehe.

At Eno Yaa’s place, Africa gets anxious as she waited for Her for several minutes….

9. It is getting late Aba, are you sure Eno Yaa will finish on time? I don’t want anyone to suspect anything once they notice we are absent. We’ve been waiting for this woman for more than an hour, is that how long she takes to complete a procedure? I thought that was supposed to be a much quicker solution like you said. Aba only gazed back at me as I throw her endless questions.

 Finally, the woman is here. She ushers me in her room with her right hand and told me everything will be fine. I lied on the table and she gave me a soft drink to calm my nerves. Then she inserted something deep into my tummy down there. Now you don’t ask me where because I am in no position to answer that, I can feel pain all over my lower abdomen and private parts. She said I will be fine.

I cannot remember anything that happened afterwards as if I slept for a while or something like that. As I gain consciousness, stains of blood was all over the place and I can see her tools. I think I have bled profusely but she managed it. It is late and I am very weak; don’t think I can make it back to school. As usual, Aba helped as we walked slowed back to school. I know the rest of the girls and the entire school will be asking of Africa. I care less of what they say. Africa has troubles of her own to deal with, don’t I?

Oh yes! Africa has her own troubles to deal with, but only if Africa knows what the future holds for her, she would have prepared to handle the crisis ahead. Let’s leave Africa and her issues to herself. Back in the school, Ike and Osei are summoned to the disciplinary committee (which includes the headmaster) for assaulting his fellow mate. He stood there without an answer, bowing his head in guilt with his mouth left ajar. Can you believe this? Osei in his dilapidated condition narrated the story from Adam. Have you noticed Osei’s loose mouth can run faster than the roadrunner? Well, now you know!!

The headmaster was shocked and inquired more from him. Osei hinted that Africa is at the centre of every incident since she enjoys all donor support from Ike. Money for provisions, Luxury and all that comes with it. Don’t forget the most important one—Love and free emotional support through her tough times.  Africa has indeed enjoyed some good times. Forget about her features because it does not reflect in her at all. So the headmaster decided to pay a courtesy call to all the parents of students involved before he meets Aba and Africa. Both boys were dismissed and summoned to the committee the following day. Watch out, it seems Africa and Aba are approaching the school gate…

 10. Ayitey Powers-The security man opens the school gate but with a sad face, I wonder why he looks at us as if we are dummies? All he cares about is money. We decided to pass the other road straight to the girl’s dormitory to avoid being noticed. As we walked slowly, Ayitey Powers murmured “sane eba!!” meaning, there is trouble. I turned and looked at him. Had the headmaster found out? What about the housemistress? I began to think. Well, Ayitey-Powers is the least of person I should listen to, after all he’s equally a gossip like all other students broadcasting 24/7 like Radio Ghana.

We sneaked calmly and I managed to climb my bed to have a peaceful rest. I feel pains all over my body and I can’t help but shiver, although bleeding has reduced, I know the sanitary towel will take care of that till the next morning. All I need is a good sleep, I will be fine. Aba said. 

I am Francis Oko Armah, you know what I do best. As I speak to you now. I have been waiting for 2 hours to meet the headmaster of a senior high school to schedule a programme to educate his students.

I know he has intentionally prolonged that meeting, so he would deny us this time, hmmm! Ghanaian Headmasters and their shenanigans, everyone will hear about them. What kind of meeting at all will last this long. I mean how? Just then a bereaved woman came out of the door. I looked on as she cried in tears. Two other boys and a girl followed him, one boy with bruises and a bandaged arm. Other adults whom I believed are their parents and other teachers followed with sad faces shaking their heads. I wonder what had happened.

NEXT!! The headmaster called me for the meeting. Per the mood in which the people left his office, I thought he would refuse me so I prayed seriously in tongues so God can answer my prayers. He shouldn’t refuse us this time; we have to educate the children.

I sat down with my broad smile as he welcomed me.  To my surprise, he did not say much, he had reviewed our letters and knows exactly our education on sexual and reproductive health means. He confessed that he did not approve of it because he had a lot of reasons based on religious and cultural doctrines. He narrated to me Africa’s story and described why he had kept long in the previous meeting.

Africa was found dead the next morning soaked in blood. Her mum came to meet her child’s corpse before she was taken to the morgue. Osei was the young boy in bruises and a bandaged arm and Ike was the one walking next to him with Aba, Africa’s friend. Both parents of the boys and teachers in the disciplinary committee followed later. After narrating the story, I suggested the headmaster encourages the boys and Aba to go for HIV counseling and testing. After explaining the concept and modules for our training, He admitted that if he had allowed us to educate and train his students, Africa’s life would have been saved. He added that Africa’s mum felt guilty for not communicating clearly enough to her child and kept crying and holding on to her religious beliefs and personal values. What’s holding on to this value if she cannot save her own daughter’s life?

The headmaster insisted all his staff should be educated and not only the school counselor so that when such serious sexual and reproductive health concerns come up, they will address it. This is how I heard about Africa’s story. Although I never met Africa, I met her mother later and she volunteered to educate young people on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Africa’s story opened doors for my team to educate the students and STAFF of her school. Later her mother joined us in the campaign. Africa is indeed a HERO. 

NOTE!! All characters are completely fictional, actions performed by characters do not truly reflect people in real lives who may bear such identities.