A colourful durbar in Navrongo marked the close of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) Project, as educationists, traditional authorities and development partners gathered to celebrate five years of community transformation.
The event, organised by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), drew the Paramount Chief of Navrongo, Navro Pio Pe Asagepaare II, sub-chiefs, elders, assembly members and representatives from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service, among others.
The celebration was both reflective and symbolic. A local drama group staged a gripping performance on drug abuse, portraying its destructive impact on young people and families. The play drew loud applause as it urged parents, teachers and community leaders to protect adolescents from substance misuse and safeguard the gains made under the project.
Delivering his address, the Paramount Chief of Navrongo, Navro Pio Pe Asagepaare II, described the moment not as an end but as a turning point. “As we mark the closing chapter of the SHARE project in our land, we do not speak of an end, but of a transition,” he declared. “For every good seed that has been planted must now be nurtured by the very soil in which it grows.”
He stressed that the true measure of success lies in community ownership. “SHARE has strengthened systems, built knowledge and empowered our people. But its true success will be measured by the responsibility we assume from this day forward,” he said. “Development embraced, protected and sustained by the community becomes a lasting legacy for generations yet unborn.” The Navro Pio pledged the continuous backing of the traditional authorities, assuring that “we shall speak for these gains, we shall defend them, and we shall remind our people that the true owners of this progress are we ourselves.”
Speaking on the sidelines, FAWE Africa’s Deputy Executive Director and Head of Programmes, Theresa Omondi-Adeitan, reaffirmed the organisation’s continental mission.
“We sleep, eat and dream about girls being in school,” she said. “Education is the greatest equaliser. If we want sustainable development, it is time to lift up the girls and young women in our society.” She warned that although enrolment has improved across Africa, retention remains a challenge. “We are losing too many girls between the ages of nine and fifteen due to poverty, early marriage and teenage pregnancy. The African woman is ready; all she needs is the opportunity.”
In Ghana, the SHARE Project was implemented in Bongo, Kassena-Nankana West, Kassena-Nankana Municipal and Builsa North, reaching 200 schools, 75 health facilities and 78 electoral areas.
FAWE Ghana’s Executive Director, Richard Amoani, explained that chiefs and opinion leaders were engaged from the outset. “We did not want to import anything foreign,” he noted. “We worked with the traditional authorities to align positive change with culture.” Although funding ends in March, he emphasised that “the project has not ended; only the funding stream has ended. Sustainability now rests with the community.”
FAWE Uganda’s Executive Director, Susan Opok Tumusiime, said similar transformations have been witnessed beyond Ghana. In Uganda, she noted, communities that once considered discussions on reproductive health taboo are now openly addressing them.
“Parents can now speak freely with their children about sexual health and their rights,” she said. “Teenage pregnancies have reduced, menstrual hygiene management has improved, and girls who once dropped out — even due to pregnancy — are being supported to return to school.” She added that the programme has strengthened parent-child relationships and built community champions who continue to advocate for girls’ education.
The Assembly Member for Nyangua Electoral Area, Felix Kulelogo, described the project as impactful. “For five years, there have been dialogues, trainings and drama performances educating our people,” he said. “Girls can now speak up. Parents are no longer afraid to discuss sex education. The improvement we see is significant.” However, he appealed for intensified interventions to address rising drug abuse in the municipality.
Beyond SHARE, FAWE Ghana announced a forthcoming “Second Chance” pathway to provide bursaries for marginalised young women and men pursuing STEM and TVET programmes. “Give this community five to ten years,” Mr Amoani urged, “and you will see what education can truly do.”
A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Seidu Mutawakil | Bolgatanga
