“I would have benefited from more education myself and that’s what I think young people in Ghana need.

Preventing teenage pregnancy through sexuality education

“I’m a facilitator and a youth champion,” says Harriet. “I educate young people, especially girls, on reproductive health and help them with accessing services. As a youth champion, I focus on a comprehensive abortion care project, where we give education on accessing safe abortion, misconceptions and help young people choose safe options over unsafe ones.” 

“Before I became a facilitator, I did not know about these topics either. I would have benefited from more education and that’s what I think young people in Ghana need: more education and information. We also need to get more facilitators on board, because my community is very big and I’m the only person here. 

’’We need to incorporate SRHR education into the school system so that students, if they don’t join after school clubs like mine, still get some information in school. Then there is a need for digital SRHR content, because these days young people are mostly on the internet.  

“When I completed senior high school, I was at home not doing anything. My brother, who was part of my community’s health committee, told me PPAG was looking for a young person to give reproductive health education in the community. I knew the teenage pregnancy rate in my community was increasing. I wanted to help, so when I got that chance, I went for it.” 

“Sometimes I meet young people who are dealing with teenage pregnancy. They tell me if they had had this information earlier, they wouldn’t have gotten into this situation. When they start to trust me, I give them more information. I see the improvement in their lives. I see young people in my community who might become pregnant soon. When I tell them about their options, it helps them. They change their mind or use protection.” 

Gender lens: addressing norms and biases

“I was already hosting sessions but didn’t know much about gender issues yet. PPAG suggested I join a training on this topic. It improved the education I give a lot, especially on issues concerning gender and stereotypes.  For example, when we’re talking about menstruation, there were boys talking negatively about this topic. I was able to discuss this with them and let the boys understand it’s not a bad thing. When I talk about menstruation in schools, I make sure the boys are also there to learn. I want to make them realise it’s not something bad or something the girls should feel bad about.” 

“These days attention for gender issues is really rising. Even when it’s in the news, we mostly still hear about men beating their wives or a woman being killed by a boyfriend. I feel like if we have education on gender issues, biases and norms and stereotypes, then when we see it happen, we can address it and act before something terrible happens.” 

“Sometimes when I facilitate a class, I even see the teachers come round to what I’m saying. They are normally the ones instructing students, even telling them things based on negative gender stereotypes. In a way, I change the perspective of the teachers as well. They ask me to come back and teach more.” 

“Going forward, I will also be more gender sensitive myself, especially when it comes to norms and stereotypes that are not helping anyone. Sometimes we think a job like engineer is only for men and cooking is only for women, but now I encourage students and their parents to pursue the job they want. When I explain gender issues, I feel so happy. The training really awoke the teacher inside me.” 

From role model to influencer

“Other young people see people like me as a role model. When I speak to them about reproductive health issues, they listen to me. Not all of them learn about these topics in school or at home. When you explain it to them, they are happy to learn. I know what I do helps when they bring their friends to the lessons too. This is how I can help my community.” 

“Young people give insights that help young people. For example, digitalising education on SRHR issues. It can even be a YouTube series. When young people watch, these days young people like watching interesting series done by young people. So, if I watch a series about let’s say safe abortion and I realise it’s very interesting, I will recommend it to my friend.”  

“When it comes to my future, I aim to take a bigger stage. It’s my dream to be one of the greatest SRHR advocates and influencers of Ghana. One of my ideas is to start a TikTok or Instagram with short videos about SRHR issues. I think I can get a big audience. I’m motivated by the idea that if I hadn’t personally had this education, I would have been influenced by friends with negative ideas. It would not have made me who I am today. 

“I want to be that one person that can change their mind and give them the education they need to make good decisions.”