Children’s education in sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion. 9 million girls between 6 and 11 years-old have never attended school, compared to 6 million boys, and gender differences in schools become more obvious during secondary education, even in wealthy households. The Ministry of Education (2015) declares that: “Education in Ghana is a right for all citizens.”

 

In addition to this, child labour is also very common in Ghana. UNICEF explain that: “Child labour is a significant problem in Ghana, affecting almost two million children.” Many families that face extreme poverty are reliant on their children to generate income, and because of this expectation, many children do not attend school.

 

Education is seen as an integral part of sustainable development which can end poverty and help to achieve gender equality. Often schools in Ghana are overcrowded, water and sanitation facilities are in short supply and there is a lack of qualified teachers, which as a result contributes to a poor-quality learning environment.

 

To achieve quality education, measures need to be taken to ensure reproductive health is included in the school curriculum to help bring about gender equality. AFAWI have recently facilitated a session on gender equality at Adenkrebi school, as part of their Empowering Girls project.

 

To find out more about this important project, or to make a donation, please visit our Global Giving page on the link below:

 

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empowering-girls-in-adenkrebi-ghana/