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NGO rescues teenage mothers
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LifeAgain, a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in the Upper West Region of Ghana has come to the rescue of some out-of-school teenage mothers whose hope of continuing with their education would have been dashed because of early pregnancy.
As the name implies, LifeAgain, the NGO has taken upon itself to provide the necessary educational materials to these young mothers to get them back to school to continue with their education so that they do not become burden to their parents and society.
The Chief Executive Officer, Ms Saudatu Mohammed said that her organisation usually identified girls between 12 and 20 years who had given birth under economic hardship, and assisted them to either go back to school or learn a trade.
According to her, the activities of LifeAgain had made positive impact in the lives of some teenage mothers in the region who would have been liability rather than asset.
Addressing a conference of teenage mothers here recently, Ms. Saudatu Mohammed said that a lot of young girls endured maltreatment as a result of unplanned pregnancies, and called on donors to support her laudable project.
Some beneficiaries shared their experiences on what triggered their engagement in early sex leading to pregnancy.
The emotional flame was sparked by 19-year-old Ms. Saudatu who explained that growing up as a young girl with parents who cared less about her well-being, she had to wash bowls for food vendors at the Wa Central market to raise money to buy books and other school items.
“I did this job until junior high two when I met a young man who proposed to me and offered to assist me financially and I was excited that he gave me GH₵5.00 daily so that I didn’t have to go to the market anymore to wash bowls”, she said.
She stated that at some point, she felt obliged to meet the sexual needs of this “good Samaritan” who later became her boyfriend and got her pregnant.
She said she had to run away from her parents to her boyfriend who had moved to a different district because her parents wanted her to abort the pregnancy as a result of differences in religion between her and the boyfriend.
“Staying with a jobless man was real hell for a pregnant woman like me because sometimes I would wake up the whole day and not get food to eat; I didn’t want to go back to my parents because they would force me to undergo abortion”, she narrated.
Saudatu explained that luck shone on her after delivery, when LifeAgain visited her community and she was enrolled as an apprentice of a dressmaker in the area, saying even though things were still difficult for her, she was hopeful that if she passed out, she could make a living for herself and the child who was now two years old.
Also, a 17-year-old Hidaya through peer influence started an early sexual relation with a man who got her pregnant at age 15.
Apparently, she conceived at Junior High school form two and was advised by friends to either abort the pregnancy or run away from home in order to escape scorn and shame.
“I stuck to my guns because I really wanted to go to school and I actually did not do away with the pregnancy, amidst scorn, shame and mockery from friends; people mockedand shamed me publicly and pointed fingers at me but I still went to school till I delivered in form three and could no longer go to school”, she said.
She indicated that after delivery, she went back to school and registered for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and scored aggregate 26 after the exam.
“My elder brother took care of me till delivery. I heard of LifeAgain through someone and contacted them to help me further my education at the senior high school (SHS)”, she said.
Hidaya said the NGO got her books, school uniforms and everything else she needed to go back to school and said her brother also helped in taking care of the child.
“Even at the new school, some of my old friends from JHS who knew I got pregnant have told the others that I had a child, so my mates still make mockery of me but I don’t care because I really want to utilise this opportunity to study hard and complete the school”.
“The father of my child tried to get me to abort the pregnancy and when she refused, he employed the help of friends to make fun of me and called me a school ‘drop-out’.
“Because of these people, I really want to do well in life; I want to show them that having a child does not mean I am useless so I don’t care whatever others say, I am determined to complete my education”, she said.
An 18-year-old mother of one narrating her ordeal also said she was forced into an early relationship as a result of marital problems at home.
“My mother was 19 years when she had me out of wedlock and when she finally got married, the husband made me his rival and did not want to have anything to do with me”, she said.
She said her step-father stopped her mother from providing for her needs so she had to fend for herself with the hope of completing at least JHS before she left her mother’s house.
She narrated that she endured days of intense hunger and had to use rags as sanitary pad, a situation she said made her stay out of school for days she had her menstrual period.
“I moved to our house in the village after JHS and worked at a drinking spot to save money for SHS, but I met a guy who used to give me money and ended up sleeping with me” she narrated and said she had to drop out after first term at the SHS when she discovered she was pregnant.
Since the man was not ready to help, she said she had to fend for herself and suffer days of hunger and poverty so much so that she could not even afford diapers for the baby.
“I met LifeAgain, the NGO that trained me on how to make liquid soap which I vend to take care of myself and my son but I am still hoping to get back to school”, she said.
Rounding up the discussion, a camerawoman in the region, Ms Martiuna Masoonoo Zabog encouraged the girls not to give up regardless of their circumstances.
The young lady who became a mother at age 17 and wrote her final exam at the SHS with six months old pregnancy said friends mocked her, family rejected her and she was called all sort of names but she was determined to weather the storm and make a life for herself and her son.
“Sometimes when these things happen, people call the girl all sort of names without understanding and addressing the root causes such as poverty, broken homes, lack of parental care and peer pressure”, she said and advised the girls to stay away from deceitful men.
Other women mentors at the programme charged the girls on to make use of the opportunity made available to them by LifeAgain to get a substantive living for themselves and their wards.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
African leaders have been urged to strengthen political commitment and domestic investment to end preventable maternal deaths and AIDS by 2030.
The call comes as African health ministers and policymakers meet in Accra to deliberate on health financing, health security and universal health coverage across the continent.
Mr Edouard Bizimana, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the African Union’s (AU) 25th Extraordinary Summit on Health in Accra.
He said Africa needed increased domestic investment to build resilient health systems as it continued to grapple with infectious diseases and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Mr Bizimana, who is also Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, said although Africa accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the world’s population, it bore 24 per cent of the global disease burden while having less than three per cent of the global health workforce and only one per cent of global health expenditure.
“Despite maternal mortality declining by nearly 40 per cent since 2000, Africa still accounts for about 70 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while almost two-thirds of people living with HIV reside on the continent,” he said.
Mr Bizimana said the growing burden of NCDs was placing additional pressure on already stretched health systems.
“These figures are not merely statistics. They represent painful human realities, preventable losses and unacceptable inequalities, they remind us that health is not an expense it is a strategic investment and a prerequisite for our sovereignty and development. “he said.
Mr Bizimana said recent global health emergencies had exposed Africa’s vulnerability and underscored the need to expand local production of medicines and vaccines, strengthen the health workforce and improve emergency preparedness.
“Our citizens expect resilient health systems where every mother can give birth safely, every child has access to essential healthcare and every African enjoys quality health services regardless of where they live,” he said.
The two-day summit, being held ahead of the 20th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, has brought together health ministers, policymakers and health stakeholders to identify solutions to Africa’s health financing and security challenges.
Madam Florence Samizi, Tanzania’s Deputy Health Minister, called for stronger collaboration among AU Member States to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The summit is being held on the theme: “Advancing Justice, Equality and Universal Health Coverage: Ending AIDS, Tuberculosis, Improving Maternal Health, Addressing Endemic Non-Communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa.”
The meeting is expected to adopt the Accra Declaration, a roadmap to strengthen Africa’s health systems and advance health sovereignty by 2030. -GNA
Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Political Science, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato says the imprisonment of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have little meaning unless it leads to a broader crackdown on illegal mining.
In a post on his Facebook page on the July 21, 2026, Dr. Zaato said the judgment should mark the beginning of efforts to completely eradicate galamsey and hold all those involved accountable, regardless of their political affiliation.
He said the country must work towards restoring polluted rivers, protecting forests and ensuring that people implicated in illegal mining activities are prosecuted.
According to him, those the President has publicly acknowledged to be involved in galamsey should face prosecution.
He called for the prosecution of district chief executives (DCEs), members of Parliament (MPs) and senior political party officials who have been accused of engaging in or supporting illegal mining.
Dr. Zaato further urged the government to take decisive action to end the destruction of the country’s forests caused by galamsey.
He maintained that the imprisonment of Chairman Wontumi would only have a lasting impact if it results in a comprehensive and impartial fight against illegal mining across the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
