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Breastfeeding mothers demand privacy at church …as naked boobs ‘torment’ men
Mothers have the natural inclination to provide protection, care and love to their babies. Above all these demands, nursing babies is one of the foundamental roles mothers perform with great passion.
Aware of this deman and always zealous to ensure that babies are well fed, mothers feel uncomfortable feeding babies in public and in church.
According to nursing mothers, they do not want to expose their bodies and offend the sensibilities of men at such “sacred” functions.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator on Monday, some women expressed their discomfort with breastfeeding in church and appealed to churches to consider making a room available for nursing and breastfeeding on Sundays and major church activities.
They were of the view that the provision of a room dedicated to exlusive breastfeeding or nursing of babies would provide people the opportunity to concentrate on the worship.
“It is alright for me to nurse or breatfeed my baby in a public transport, at the market or even on campus. However, when it comes to church I am unable to feel free to do so and so at a point in life, I even decided to put church on hold because I didn’t want to expose my breast or give any man who is not serious funny ideas during worship,” AkuaAtaa a student and mother of one said.
She, therefore, appealed to authorities of religious institutions to prioritise providing a room for breastfeeding to give nursing mothers some privacy.
Madam Naomi Tindaana Korey, another nusing mother, said she had always tried to wear the right clothes and even cover the breast while she nursed her baby, but said if a permanent solution of a restricted area for mothers was provided it would be better.
“Imagine a man listening to the word of God and suddenly turns to see the breast of a woman? It is not a pleasant thing at all for both the woman and the man and so we should not trivialise it but help to put measures to support nursing mothers by making a room available for that.
She said there are suggestions that they go out of the churches to the compound but if a mother did not have a car to sit in, there was still the possibility of exposing her breasts outside and also she would miss much of the churchactivities, thereby defeating the purpose for which she had come to church.
However, the situation is different at the Central Assemblies of God Church in Tema Community Four in the Tema Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region, a room has been designated for breastfeeding and even a changing room for babies.
“The church dignifies and respects women as the homemakers, hence the decision to make provision for an official room for them to breastfeed their babies” the Pastor in Charge, Rev Emmanuel Oforisaid .
He said the proximity of the breastfeeding room has also made it possible for the mothers to listen to ongoing proceedings from the church auditorium and therefore they do not lose out.
He admitted that it has really helped to give the church a place ahead of others andhas made it possible for mothers to be comfortable to enable them to go about their motherly duties conveniently while in church.
Rev Ofori said the Breastfeeding room was set up about ten years old and the church has been committed to that gesture and even gone ahead to provide an air condition and other basic needs to ensure that the place was conducive for both mother and baby.
Ms Gloria Anderson, a church member, recalled her struggles as a nursing mother when the facility was not available at the church.
She said she had to stay at home for about nine months after being delivered of her babies because it was embarrassing breastfeeding with a man just a seat or two away.
She said, she made things easier for herself when she wore a nursing bra designed for breastfeeding which covered the breasts to a large extent and ensured that the breast was not too much exposed.
She commended the church authorities for their thoughtfulness of mothers and encouraged more churches to do same to make the church a convenient place for such mothers because the privacy of women was important.
She said it was exciting to also know that a nursing mother could come to church and participate fully in the service and this had encouraged more mothers to come to church about a month or two after they were delivered of their babies.
From DzifaTettehTay, Tema.
The Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, is advocating an intentional conversation about the development and education of the boy child in creating stronger families and societies.
According to him, the boy child must not be ignored in conversations on leadership, education, family stability and national transformation because they are key to national development.
“There is a reason why a boy child must not be denied opportunities like education; he is a future leader. When boys are trained well, society becomes safer and stronger,” he stated.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua made the remark at a forum organised by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra to observe the International Day of the Boy Child observed on May 16.
It was held in collaboration with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), and under the theme: ‘Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’
Leading the discussion, the Pentecost University Vice Chancellor warned that poor mentorship, declining in education, harmful social media influences and emotional neglect have made a lot of young boys vulnerable.
With a lot of the attention switching to the girl child, the boy child, he said was confronted with many challenges including violence, substance abuse, educational decline, emotional neglect and the absence of positive role models.
According to Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, he noted that boys were turning to social media for direction due to the absence of fathers and mentors to help shape their lives.
“If we are not intentional, social media will mentor our children for us. We are not saying they should not use social media, but they should be guided to access the right information to excel in life,” he stated.
Prof. Agyapong-Kodua urged society to encourage boys to become creators of technology rather than mere consumers.
Contributing, Madam Gifty Asiedu, Director of the Girls’ Education Unit at the GES Headquarters, said the service remained committed to ensuring that no child was left behind, adding that, “supporting the boy child should not come at the expense of progress made in girl-child education.”
“If you focus intentionally on one gender and neglect the other, you create a societal problem,” she underlined.
She said the GES had observed some decline in boys’ retention in school, although the gap between boys and girls was not yet too wide.
“Over the years, attention has been focused on the girl child and we have seen the benefits. However, data now show that the statistics concerning the boy child continue to decline,” she indicated.
She explained that the service was implementing gender-responsive education to ensure that classroom teaching addressed the needs of both boys and girls equally.
Elder Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Deputy Director of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and Chief of Asante Asaman in the Ashanti Region, said society needed to critically examine the plight of boys.
“As we celebrate the International Day for the Boy Child, I urge every man to identify one boy child, find out how he is doing and dedicate some time to mentoring him,” he explained.
The programme, attended by educators, church leaders and policymakers, was the second edition following a partnership initiated last year between the Schools Outreach Ministry, the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the GES.
It sought to improve school enrolment, completion rates and learning outcomes among boys so they could grow into responsible men who would build strong families and communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Candidates that wrote the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ho Municipality are hopeful of obtaining good grades to make everyone especially their parents and the Regional Minister proud.
The candidates said they had so far sat the examination with focus and integrity after a call from Mr James Gunu, Regional Minister to avoid examination malpractice saying, they expected great performance upon release of results.
Mr Gunu, at the start of this year’s BECE delivered the message during a monitoring visit to some centres in the municipality including Ho Kpodzi EP Basic A School, Mawuli School, Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS), and Kabore School.
He urged the candidates to rely on hard work and discipline, warning that shortcuts could jeopardise their future.
“Stay focused and give your best in this year’s BECE – your determination and hard work will pay off. Avoid shortcuts and examination malpractice; integrity matters just as much as success,” he said.
The Minister, accompanied by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, the acting Volta Regional Director of Education, and the Ho Municipal Director of Education, encouraged candidates to view the exam as a foundation for their academic journey and to celebrate responsibly after the final paper, commending parents, guardians, teachers, and officials of the Ghana Education Service for their support in preparing the candidates.
Candidates at some of the centres Ghana News Agency visited, echoed the call for honesty and high standards.
At Kabore School, Ms Francisca Atsu of Sokode Lokoe MA Basic School said, “The Regional Minister was here earlier to speak to us and also to encourage us. We’ve done our best. I assure him that we will make him and our parents proud.”
At Taviefe SHS Centre, Ms Valentina Sakpla of Taviefe R.C Basic School added, “We are expecting good results to make everyone proud and for our own good.”
Mr David Dotse, Supervisor at Kabore School, hosting 11 schools, with a standby ambulance on site to cater for any health emergency, reported smooth proceedings. –GNA
