Duafe Sisterhood
„No girl should miss school and the chance for a better future due to her period.”
For several years, we at Start from Ghana Foundation have been pursuing one mission - to provide girls with fewer educational opportunities with equal access to knowledge and hygiene supplies. Unfortunately, in rural areas, one in three girls miss more than three months of school due to lack of access to hygiene supplies.
The idea for the Duafe Sisterhood project was born several years ago, when we were establishing a kindergarten in the small village of Duaga. During this beautiful process, we were accompanied by a large group of women and young girls. Gradually, we established close relationships and discovered the difficulties that teenage girls face every day. The lack of a place where they can talk freely about their needs, develop their interests and have access to hygiene products.
And why is the project called Duafe Sisterhood? The word "Duafe" symbolizes one of Ghana's Adinkra symbols, which appears in jewelry and fashion. It tells the story of women's strength, beauty and care for themselves and personal hygiene.
In 2019, as a SFG team, we decided to take action and establish Duafe Sisterhood Clubs as after-school activities in local schools. Regular meetings are held three times a month at several locations and are extremely popular. The classes cover four thematic blocks: personal hygiene, sex education, mental health and professional workshops.
The idea for the Duafe Sisterhood project was born several years ago, when we were establishing a kindergarten in the small village of Duaga. During this beautiful process, we were accompanied by a large group of women and young girls. Gradually, we established close relationships and discovered the difficulties that teenage girls face every day. The lack of a place where they can talk freely about their needs, develop their interests and have access to hygiene products.
And why is the project called Duafe Sisterhood? The word "Duafe" symbolizes one of Ghana's Adinkra symbols, which appears in jewelry and fashion. It tells the story of women's strength, beauty and care for themselves and personal hygiene.
In 2019, as a SFG team, we decided to take action and establish Duafe Sisterhood Clubs as after-school activities in local schools. Regular meetings are held three times a month at several locations and are extremely popular. The classes cover four thematic blocks: personal hygiene, sex education, mental health and professional workshops.
This year in late May/early June, in cooperation with partner organization ONE SEED, for the second time
Duafe conference was held for the second time, which took place in two locations and brought together more than 150 girls from Accra, the Firm Foundation school and Duafe, where participants included foundation wards and girls from neighboring towns.
Duafe conference was held for the second time, which took place in two locations and brought together more than 150 girls from Accra, the Firm Foundation school and Duafe, where participants included foundation wards and girls from neighboring towns.
The Duafe conference program was extremely intense and full of activities. Three workshop sessions in three thematic blocks: "Menstruation Action," "Mental Health" and "Sex Education" were of great importance. Their purpose was not only to provide a platform for girls to talk freely about important topics, but also to facilitate educational staff to communicate openly and accessibly with students on these very issues. Thanks to the invited guests and volunteers, representing organizations and companies that professionally deal with hygiene and mental health topics, we had access to the latest information and knowledge on these areas.
We ended the meeting in an unusually festive manner, giving our wards unique gifts. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, each participant received a specially prepared package, which consisted of a set of hygiene products (reusable and disposable sanitary pads) and a beautiful educational brochure, created especially for this special day.
We are extremely happy that as the SFG Foundation we can influence girls' education and normalize topics related to menstruation and mental health. Our work is of great importance in improving the quality of life of these young women and opening up new perspectives for their future. We strive to ensure that every girl has equal access to knowledge, hygiene supplies and support in these important aspects of her life.
