Take our Daughter to Work Day

Here is a paper I wrote for a PC newsletter of an event I did about a month ago.

     I live in the Northern Region of Ghana in a small village (of about 600 people) called Yapalsi. In Yapalsi there is no female graduate of an SS. I know of only one 35+ year old mother who had some small amount of primary school. By and large I (like too many of us) live in a village of completely illiterate mothers.

     This has always troubled me. I want the next generation, this generation, to be different. I want my girls to be informed, I want them to be confident, I want them to be happy, I want for them what I never had to fight to get- higher education.

     So upon reading the GYDlines I got motivated to do a TODTWD. I spent one week running around my district capital finding different contacts, making awkward phone calls (“Heyyy friend! Long time… like 1.5 years long…), getting brownie points by going to church to further discuss TODTWD with a speaker, wearing my Ghanian wear, talking to headmasters to pull my kids out of class an hour early on Friday, and in general, preaching all about the importance of educating our youth to any who would listen.

     Friday arrives and I pick up my 4 JHS kids at school (a 7km walk one way from my village), take us to the nearest taxi station and pay for a drop to go to our first stop- the District Assembly.

     Now, even before reaching the DA I realize from that I’m in trouble. The woman I set everything up with had traveled to a conference 5 hours away. Somehow it escaped her mind to tell me that when we met 2 days ago. However I had two interviews lined up here and go to my next in line.

     This turns into a bit of a teeth pulling routine. The woman is not interested in motivating my girls (though she sure seemed it on Wednesday) and gives us very perfunctory answers. This was such a disappointment. I leave feeling really let down, but what makes everybody feel better? Food.

     After the DA we go to get some chop and I pay for their food and get them the *big* pieces of meat. As everybody starts eating I begin phase 2 of TODTWD, talk about my own experiences. Maybe it was the fact that my girls were eating meat for the first time all month, maybe it was just because we were out of the DA, but whatever the reason they were very engaged in my discussion of why higher education is extra important for women.

     Phase 3 of TODTWD- Bring my girls to the local radio station (90.5 Mah-mah-mah MIGHT FM). This visit goes spectacularly. Patience, the woman broadcaster, is very engaging and very motivational. She explains her hardships and triumphs. She has everybody’s full attention and keeps it for her entire hour long discussion. Leaving on a high note, she even gives my four girls a shout out on live radio. Smiles all around =)

     The last and final phase- Go to the Veterinary College to talk with the animal rearing professor, Madam Fostina. I’m excited for my girls to talk to Fostina because she was born and raised in the Upper West Region and I believe there is a big north/south split where Ghanians from the North sometimes feel inferior or more handicapped just by being born and going to school in the North. Madam Fostina is able to prove to my kids that if you work hard you can become a “big woman” and succeed regardless of region.

     I believe the four JHS kids I brought around took a lot away from our day of travels. I hope that they were inspired and will try harder to finish their schooling. At the very least I know my girls had an overall fun day seeing different successful women and will take away from this experience that women can and do succeed. Now, it’s just left with time to see if they will believe and live the thought that “I am a woman and I can succeed.”