West African partnersBelow are a selection of quotes which demonstrate the enormous progress WOMANKIND’s projects in Ghana are making.
‘Before the Nkyinkyim programme came to my town, my marriage was very difficult. When I married my husband, we both used to go and work on the farm.
‘I would have to find my own food to eat after a long day on the farm. When my husband came home, he would expect me to cook for him and if I didn’t cook fast enough for him, he would shout at me.
‘This was how things were when Adwoa came here from GAWU (WOMANKIND’s implementing partner) to say that there would be a community meeting. We started discussing violence against women and children in the community. We received ‘sensitisation’ on how married couples could live together.
‘I mentioned this to my husband – that we should live together as one in our home. The next time that Adwoa came to the village, I suggested that my husband attend the community meeting with me. Slowly, as a result, he started changing his lifestyle.
‘Now my husband brings home food crops which I can then cook for both of us. Now we talk happily. This change in our relationship is a direct result of the awareness raising and sensitisation brought by the Nkyinkyim programme. Together, my husband and I have decided to send our firstborn to school. This is because the project linked violence against women to education, so my husband said that he didn’t want our son to fall into the same trap that he did, so it was important to send him to school.
‘I want to thank the work of the COMBATs – we should continue to talk about our problems and challenges so as we can address them together.’
(Victoria Nakie, Ghana)
"I cannot believe that today I am sitting in a group with men, women and young women, together, talking about violence. When I was younger nobody talked about it. The only way you could tell, was in the morning you saw the woman with bruises and a sad face."
(Magazia in Zebilla, Ghana)
"In our cultural system violence against women is made acceptable and it’s quite often veiled under such terms as discipline, correction, chastisement, that are normally viewed as the rights of men. I spend a lot of time talking to both women and men about self-respect, respect for others and how that ties in with traditional values and local customs. We’re setting up local COMBAT teams where women have training to help others who are experiencing violence. It makes an amazing difference to their lives – they often find their own voice and become involved in decision-making.”
(Andrews Tagoe, General Agricultural Workers Union, Nkyinkyim project)
Though I do not have girls now, I pray that God will give me female children. Because of the knowledge I have found through WOMANKIND’s scheme, I wish to give equal opportunities in education to children of both sexes and discourage forceful marriages and female genital mutilation practices on girls.”
(Mariama, from Tamale, Northern Ghana)
“I was a victim of abuse myself. The abuse was physical, psychological and economic. I already reported my husband to the police twice, but they sent me back to the family and nothing has changed. It is through the sensitization of the project that I was able to be firm and take the decision to leave him. … I involved the family, step by step, and finally I divorced and since I’m very happy. I have the five children with me, they are all in education. I’m a teacher, I have my NGO and I’m involved in a lot of community activities. … I’m a completely different person now and I am very self-confident.”
(Programme partner staff worker)
“Personally, I didn’t respect women. Even in the family, if they invite women at all, their issues will not even be considered …but this changed… and my life has improved by 200%.”
(State agency officer)
“Before, we blamed the women who came to the hospital – and we even mishandled them. Now we try to find out what happened and show them the options to report the case.”
(Nurse)
