Since you heard from us in February, we have great news to share!
Under the inspired leadership of Ghana Country Director Ross Dodd, we have been continuing our leadership journeys with the Fellows. Bi-weekly meetings have been a highlight which sets us apart from many other Fellowships. According to Fellow Nana Ama Boa-Amponsen, Founder of Think Education (https://www.think-education.org) .
"I believe the bi-weekly meetings are very helpful in nurturing a sense of community and continuous idea exchanges not only among us fellows but also with the facilitators, and for early-stage leaders, having access to such a supportive community and a platform for sharing ideas are invaluable resources."
We have traditionally participated in International Women’s Day and this year was no exception! Addressing the theme #EmbraceEquity, six Fellows received small grants for their grassroots programs. We highlight Hamdaratu Mahama’s “Embracing Equity - Empowering Teenage Mothers to Stay in School” which empowered 15 teenage mothers in Northern Ghana to return to or stay in school. According to Hamdatatu “To do that, one key is having money to pay for school supplies and uniforms. Another is having business mentors who help in the short term.” The WAT IWD program met those challenges! The teenage mothers received practical training to produce household items like powdered soap, washing products, and beaded items. The sale of these products brings schools within their reach.
Trainees during “Embracing Equity – Empowering Teenage Mothers to Stay in School.”
They were also taken through a mentorship session where two victims of teenage pregnancy, who are now excelling in their careers, shared their experiences and motivated the young mothers to stay in school. The participants were given items to practice with and start their businesses. The frosting on the cake? They were given business mentors to guide them on their journeys of becoming entrepreneurs!
Alumna spotlight: More news from Jennifer de-Graft Ninson: July 8, 2023🎉 Exciting news! The long-awaited coding and robotics training for children with disabilities is finally here! 🤖🌟 This milestone marks our commitment to promoting inclusive education through technology. By providing basic coding skills to these amazing kids, we aim to ignite their interest in technology careers and empower them to shape their own future. 🚀👩💻 Our project is supported by the She Leads Program of Plan International and in partnership with IOT Network Hub and TechDream. Together with are empowering children with disabilities with technology for an inclusive tomorrow. 🎓✨
Three years is a big deal! And we celebrated with our WC4E Third Anniversary Salon at the Union Club of Boston. The Guest of Honor was our very own Rose Dodd, who described the program and proudly shared many accomplishments of our current Fellows. The Q and A was robust and energizing! In answer to the question “Why do programs like this one matter” supporter Marion Burke had this to say…“This started with a small group of people who had the passion, and fortunately, the experience and education, to be able to build something that really is identifying women in Ghana who already had leadership roles and enhancing their skills by experts in their field,” and, “And it's the breadth of services that I’ve been excited about because then it’s mentoring and hooking people up with peer organizations. It really carries people throughout the spectrum of their development as leaders.”
In closing, would you do us a big favor? If you haven’t already done so, please follow us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-changemakers-for-education/)
and Instagram (https://instagram.com/change4ed?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==). We will be posting updates on our progress as an organization, and on our amazing fellows, so follow along to stay up to date!
