Erudite Women’s Empowerment Foundation welcomed the Girls Identity Summit Inc, USA, in Konongo this October, to carry out a monitoring exercise on the I See Me Mentoring Curriculum. In November of last year, the Curriculum was first introduced to ten (10) school-based Girl-Child Coordinators in Asante Akim Municipal, during the Girls Identity Summit event. This was to collect their input for developing a guide fit for the Ghanaian context.
The Curriculum was distributed to Girl Child Coordinators in 10 adopted schools in January, 2024 for mentoring sessions to commence. After eight (8) months of implementation, the team embarked on a monitoring visit for two days in October, 2024 to assess the progress, evaluate possible needed resources and measure the effectiveness of the module so far.
The monitoring team were- Minister Michele Patton Johnson from GIS, USA, Madam Deborah Ankoma, Municipal Girl-Child Coordinator and Ms. Emmanuella Opoku Acheampong, Programs Officer-EWEF
Monitoring and Evaluation Sessions
On Monday, October 28th, we began the journey to visit five (5) of the adopted schools and completed the session with five (5) more schools implementing the I See Me Curriculum on Tuesday, October 29th.
Each session was held with school-based Girl Child Coordinators and two girls participating in the mentoring sessions.
Valuable insights were captured during the various interview sessions with the teachers and girls respectively. The team harvested positive signs of growth and transformation in the lives of both girls and teachers alike.
It was fulfilling to realize that girls have become more confident and determined about achieving their goals and aspirations. Girl Child Coordinators disclosed that the rates of teenage pregnancies among girls approaching their final year of studies have reduced compared to previous records before the introduction of the I See Me Mentoring Curriculum.
The current number of girls benefiting from mentoring sessions are 1,031 across the 10 adopted schools.
Observation and Challenges
The team observed that the creativity of girls has been enhanced since their participation in the Girls Identity Summit event held in 2023 and have gained a sense of self-awareness. In Patriensa Presbyterian JHS, the team saw designed exhibits from girls made from plastics and boards. The Girl Child Coordinator for the school disclosed that girls have developed passion for creating and designing since they were introduced to the skill at the 2023 Girls Identity Summit.
The girls disclosed that they have difficulty acquiring hygiene and menstrual items during their menstrual periods, which affects their attendance and interferes with their academic performance. They added that there are no changing areas in the school for girls should there be the need to change during that time of the month.
Conclusion
The monitoring exercise has provided the team with helpful feedback and insights that will go a long way to help modify the curriculum to suit the needs of girls, while directing us to the challenges that girls find pressing and will like to have immediate and long-term solutions to.
The I See Me mentoring curriculum is serving its purpose so far and we are glad to be transforming the worldview of girls for the better.
Indeed, our girls are depending on us for a bright future achieved through informed choices and decisions.
The team is committed to ensuring that every girl is Empowered to See Who She Is Created to Be!
Click the link https://youtu.be/4-6OXn1vZOk?si=1wEM6Thc7BYnpDTm to watch excerpts from the two days exercise
