Fundraising, Recruiting and Prepping! Oh My!

To begin with, thank you to all our wonderful 2013 SSL volunteers.

We rely on you in countless ways. You have all been amazing and inspiring and somehow made the summer pass ridiculously quickly. Those of us who work with GHEI full time know the impact of what we do. We see evidence of it every day. Supporting the community is always a part of our daily focus.

To some degree, we get used to it. But when you come in, and we see the way you react and the awe in your expression, it reminds us of the extraordinary importance of our work.

There has been a short radio silence on this end. We were exhausted and took some much needed rest. Now, we’re back. And with our new found motivation and energy, we are going to hit the ground running.

There are almost too many new exciting things happening right now at GHEI. In an effort to keep track of them, here’s a quick run-down of what you should know about:

1. #STARTARYOT Challenge: We’ve partnered with Ryot News and are taking part in this year’s 5-week fundraising challenge to see how much we can gain. Check it out, spread the word and donate if you can. Let’s see how much we can raise together!

2. As part of the challenge, we’re also fundraising for our scholarship program. Senior high school in Ghana is not universal and the required tuition fees are often extremely difficult for families in Humjibre to afford. GHEI fundraises and offers scholarships to give deserving students the opportunity to continue their education. I will be posting more about scholarships in the next couple of weeks as we move toward the September 15th fundraising deadline.

3. We've just published our Annual Report and will be creating new promotional materials. For a beautiful overview of all of our organizational goals and programs in the last year, check out the 12-page report covering June 2012 through May 2013.

4. Summer Serve and Learn 2014: If it’s possible to top this year’s SSL programs, we are going to do it! We’ve had so many positive experiences this year. We are reflecting and carefully evaluating - the good and the bad - and will be rolling out improved programs for 2014. Stay tuned to learn more about them and the role you can play in the coming months.

To our volunteers, friends and supporters: thank you. Writing this, I’m overjoyed to be part of all these things. Thank you for making them possible.

To learn more about how you can help fundraise for scholarships, or if you’re interested in any other GHEI promotional materials, send me an email at communications@ghei.org!

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Girls Empowerment, Lessons Learned

That awkward moment after you say goodbye where nobody wants to take the first step to leave. “Maybe we could start over again?” one of the camp participants suggested. The girls sat in silence with their certificates of completion, goodie bags, and folders with all the work they had done. Communication during the camp had been more difficult than the volunteers expected. But as the workshops progressed, everybody learned to change their vocabulary and speech just enough so that they found a language everybody understood. In addition to the six official workshops, there were home visits, a drumming and dancing class, and other activities to help the groups find common ground and bond in a more relaxed atmosphere. 

Workshop One: Money and Business Management
 
After a few activities on the importance of differentiating between wants and needs and keeping track of purchases, Madam Comfort, a local shop owner, spoke to the girls about what it takes to start a business. Sitting on their benches, they leaned in and listened intently to Comfort’s advice “work hard…take your studies seriously… make plans….”

Workshop Two: Family Planning

Entering the community center on Wednesday, balloons scattered the floor. After having the girls grab as many as they wanted, the first activity was revealed: “This is how many children you will have. With a set sum of money, see how long you can provide for them.” As the girls moved between stations paying for food, healthcare, education and clothes for each of their future children, the lesson became apparent: bigger families are harder to support, and if you want to provide well for your children, you’re better off with fewer. 

Workshop Three: Safe Sex

Thursday began with making sock puppets and using them to role play different important conversations between partners. After some demonstrations, the girls sat down to talk with a local nurse. Judith spoke to them on their level. They opened up, asked honest questions and were satisfied with her answers. 

Workshop Four: Self- Confidence

While confidence is instilled in boys from a young age in Humjibre, girls do not get the same treatment. To help the girls become surer of themselves and comfortable speaking to others, the girls practiced expressing what they like about themselves and taking turns complimenting each other. 

Workshop Five: Leadership   

On Friday, the girls worked to understand what characteristics they would need to develop to be successful in specific occupations and how to make decisions for a group. They then sat for a talk from our very own Agnes Obeng. Beyond being a strong force on the GHEI team, Aggie is a mother, the president of her church and an involved community member in Humjibre. 

Workshop Six: Choice- Rugby and Happy Feet

Using a Nerf football, everybody split into two teams and played touch rugby. With the exception of one of our volunteers, this was a new game for the girls and volunteers alike. They ran around, laughed, and passed the ball in the wrong direction as equals. After the game and singing some football chants that aptly expressed their enthusiasm, everybody sat down to watch a movie together. 

The workshops presented new information and reiterated some ideas that the girls had seen before. Along with support and some translation from our local staff, the workshops were orchestrated by the volunteers. They played a greater role than just teaching useful lessons for the girls as they mature. The volunteers were positive role models and their presence provided encouragement for the girls to advocate for themselves and work toward their goals. To all our Girls Empowerment volunteers and camp participants, you have been amazing: Thank you. Y3 da mo ase paa!

Don't forget to check our Facebook where the final GE photos will be posted tomorrow!

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Girls Empowerment Check-In

The lives of Ghanaian teenage girls who have just finished junior high school hold a lot of uncertainty. Some wait for their exam results to learn if, and which senior high school they will attend. Others just wait to see what the next step in their lives will be. In many impoverished places like Humjibre, educating females is seen as a trade-off. It is thought that girls and women belong in the home, so there is no use in wasting resources by putting them in school. However, educated females ensure the health and education of future generations. For a community, their role creates now what is seen as one of the most successful paths out of poverty. GHEI’s annual Girls Empowerment camp sets aside two weeks for volunteers to help motivate local girls who have just finished junior high school, and give them the knowledge and confidence they will need to continue with their education and fulfill their aspirations. 
 

 Each SSL session completes a vastly different project, so the program changes throughout the summer. For this one, there are about 15 local girls participating in the camp. Workshops with the volunteers are held in the early evenings so that the girls can still tend to their household responsibilities. 

 Sunday night was the first opportunity for everybody to meet. No small affair, the girls had been meeting and preparing for their Girls Empowerment Presentation all-month. When the music came on, they entered the community center in two lines from the back. They danced their way onto the stage and into a line, each with a letter to spell “Girls Empowerment.” Next, they sang this year’s theme song “We are Women for the Future” and put on a hysterically funny performance of the GHEI classic drama The Importance of Girl Child Education. Afterwards, the girls preformed a choreographed dance and the Humjibre Queen Mother; Nana Adwoa Ampo II took the stage. This part was completely unplanned. She spoke about different opportunities available to girls and to the delight of the audience, even lead them in a song. After the presentation, the girls, bubbling with excitement, started a dance party on the stage. The volunteers joined them, taking their first steps to get acquainted and learn their first azonto moves. 

Over the week, workshops began. So far, volunteers have met with the girls on the topics of money, business management, family planning and safe sex. The community center has temporarily become a space reserved for girls to grow and learn. Every day, they are exposed to new ideas and encouraged by an all-female group of volunteers and local staff. This camp is a positive force in the girls’ lives; where they will become more confident, knowledgeable and prepared to face the next step.

More photos will be posted on our Facebook and be sure to check back next week to learn more about each workshop!
 
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