Currently in 2014, the program covers 43 girls with 27 in their 3^rd year  and 16 in their 2^nd year. Form 3 girls are being registered and prepared to take West Africa School Certificate Examination in June 2015. Assessment of program students shows that about 10 girls show promise of progressing to tertiary institutions.

The implementation of the 3T program has been a collaboration between GWV and Global Fund for Children

The post We are still going strong! 3T! first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

Date: Sunday 16November 2014

Health Experts: Dr. K. Bonney and Dr. Yayra Bonney – researchers at the Nuguchi Memorial Center for Scientific Research.

Topic: The scourge of viruses- HIV and EBOLA

Viruses differ as well as their symptoms and mechanisms of actions. HIV and Ebola are both viruses we need to be careful about.  The resource persons spoke extensively about the symptoms of ebola, the need to wash hands under running water thoroughly, avoiding the fruit bat and fruits that had been bitten into. Additionally, the community was cautioned to report any case of diarrhoea, feverish symptoms and vomiting especially if subject had had contact with anyone who had just returned from endemic areas.

On the subject of HIV and AIDS, the community was cautioned that in spite of the drop in the Ghana National prevalence rate, the viral disease still exists; therefore the need to abstain, be careful and stick to one partner and  use barrier methods of protection to prevent the spread of the disease. The experts also highlighted on the need for stigma reduction and voluntary counselling and testing to know one’s status.

The post Our Community Health Outreach first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

This informs our commitment at GWV to reduce unsafe abortions.

GWV through our partnership with Ipas Ghana has trained 200 pharmacists, 300 chemical sellers, 200 frontline staff of pharmacies and chemical sellers shops since 2008

In 2014-2015, GWV through our partnership with Ipas Ghana will train 150 pharmacists and chemical sellers in 3 regions of Ghana. The objective is to improve access to information and availability of safe abortion services to the full extent of the law. Additionally the objective is to improve the referral systems so that the links among the health care delivery system will be strengthened

The post Unsafe Abortion must stop! If Possible!! first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

Activity: Radio Program – Live Matters

Topic: Unsafe Abortion

Radio – Station live 91.9 fm

Report

Nana Yaa Appiah Programs Director Ghana Women’s Voices was in attendance with Selorme Azumah of the Community Access Department, Ipas Ghana.

We talked about unsafe abortion; why this was a threat in achieving a reduction in maternal mortality in Ghana. This fact was emphasised by Dr Ernest Kwarko a specialist Obstetrics and Gynaecologist who confirmed that it was the 3^rd highest cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Ghana

We discussed some of the circumstances under which abortion was permitted: 

1. when continued pregnancy will be a risk to the pregnant woman’s physical health
2. when continued pregnancy will be a risk to the mental health of the woman . the definition of mental health within this context is the state of emotional , psychological, social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease in matters relating to mental function

Nana Yaa and Selorme reiterated the importance of counselling as a component of the Comprehensive Abortion Care Package. In addition there was a reminder that pharmacists and sellers of over the counter medicines  were being trained to improve access to information and availability of the service to the full extent of the law. This means that clients who visit these facilities as a first line of call within the communities will be met with a more welcoming attitude and a referral to a trusted service provider if need be.

The post Radio Program – Live Matters – Unsafe Abortion first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

This expansion entails enrolling graduates of the mentoring program in the schools of their choics at the end of their stay at the correctional homes. This is to keep them focused on education to prevent them from engaging in activities that might be in conflict with the law.

Afia is the first graduate of the Ghana Women’s Voices mentoring program, who has ended her stay at the correctional facility. She is now enrolled in Opportuinities Industralization Centre (OIC) in Kumasi, a school of her choice. For the last 45 years, OIC International has been at the front lines in their effort to fully develop Africa’s workforce through quality and market driven workforce development training and job placement.  Their  mission is to alleviate poverty through developing a trained and employable workforce with skills to work in many of the key and critical core focus sectors; Agriculture, Customer service or retail, Health, Vocational Training (construction trade and infrastructure; auto repairs; hospitality management; fashion design; office administration)

Afia has just completed her first term of two years in her study in Fashion and Design. Ghana Women’s voices had a phone interview with her on the 14^th of January, 2015  to listen to her experience during her first term in school. She expressed great delight to be enrolled in Opportunities Industrialization Centre (OIC). She is glad she made a good choice because the environment is welcoming and she is pleased to be studying her dream course Fashion and Design. She is convinced at the end of the course she can make a living for herself through dressmaking. She aspires to be one of the best fashion designers in Ghana.

She also expressed her gratitude to GWV Foundation for  their overwhelming  support towards her which includes mentoring her, paying her school fees, providing her accommodation and food as part of her educational package.

The post Ghana Women’s Voices Beyond The Remand Home first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

Mifepristone is one pill separated from the misoprostol, which are four pills on the same pack. The mifepristone can be swallowed with water on the first and after 24-48 hours, the misoprosotol can also be taken in two ways. The four misoprostol pills can be inserted in the vagina by pushing them hard enough  in order not  to fall out or two pills each of the four can be placed at each side of the cheek for about 30 minutes and allowed to dissolve. What is left in the mouth can be swallowed and this would cause bleeding after some time. She also pointed out that the body is not a light switch and therefore clients should be advised to take a scan if they complain of still showing signs of pregnancy. She continually said that they are not suppose to sell the medabon without prescriptions but for the purpose of the training and not knowing when a situation would arise for them to provide services, it is important they know the components of medabon, how it is taken and how it works.

The post Interventions to reduce unsafe abortions first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

Participants broke into groups and shared how they have created access to safe abortions, highlighting on their successes, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. These are summarized below.

Their successes were they have successfully counselled clients and made effective referrals. After the referrals they follow up with the clients making sure they received appropriate services. They also educate their clients on family planning to avoid repeating abortion. They have also made sure the products are available and even some go to the extent of supporting some clients financially to make them access the services. They are now confident in making referrals and have absolute trust in the Ipas trained providers. Participants also expressed the inner joy they feel when clients come back to show their appreciation and also knowing that they are contributing their quota in eradicating maternal mortality in Ghana.

In spite of their successes, they however, face some challenges such as some clients having limited knowledge about their menstrual cycle. This makes dating of their pregnancy difficult and their provision of services unsuccessful. Most clients also come to them after they have tried several unsuccessful methods and it is already having a negative impact on their lives. Also, there are a lot of fake or unregistered products available on the market. It is also surprising that after all the education and prescriptions given to clients, some still do not take the medication properly. Most of the clients are financially handicapped. Most people are also not aware of Ipas Ghana activities in providing comprehensive abortion care. (CAC) towards preventing maternal mortality and morbidity. Some clients do not give feedback and documentations are also not done properly.

Participants also expressed the opportunities the training has given them. It has given them a bigger platform to change people’s perception of abortion. They use this opportunity to educate clients on the circumstances in which abortion is permissible in Ghana and where they can access safe services. This has improved people’s confidence in them and the stigma attached to their facility is also fading. They now have an opportunity to tell people during gatherings that the driven force behind providing safe abortion services is the goal which is to save a woman’s life and hence no other perception counts to them.

They pointed out that they are sometimes apprehensive about informing and counselling women about abortifacients. The reasons include the threats as follows; some of the clients come to their shops with self-prescriptions. Some of their co-workers do not have the requisite training and yet sell the products for their personal gains. Self-medication as a first resort by most clients. They are accused of aiding and abetting the practice of abortion (abortion stigma). Cultural and religious beliefs categorizing abortion as a sin. Some clients get misinformed by their peers and other family members. Drug peddlers on vehicles. The unfriendly attitude of health workers drives away clients. Most young people between the ages of 12-14 years request for medabon and the exorbitant charges of some practitioners. 

Ghana Women’s Voices in close collaboration with Ipas Ghana is making all necessary efforts to eradicate unsafe abortions and hence reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

The post Saving women’s lives by combatting unsafe abortion in our communities first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

• To appreciate the effectiveness and challenges in applying knowledge and skills learnt at the training sessions. (2014/2015)
• To effectively monitor and document what we do (How to tell our own story better through documentation) in order to make an impact in our communities.
• To update participants’ knowledge on Medication Abortion and Pregnancy Dating using the Gestational Wheel. 

It was under the theme are we saving women’s lives?

In all the three meetings, . Ms Nana Yaa Appiah, the founder of Ghana Women’s Voice  in her introductory remarks noted that, a total of 150 pharmacists and sellers of over the counter practitioners have received training  in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti Regions of Ghana with the objective of reducing unsafe abortion in our communities. She informed the participants that the laws of Ghana permit abortion if the pregnancy is as a result of rape, incest or defilement of a female who is mentally challenged.  In addition, if the pregnancy threatens the physical and mental health of the woman or there is a substantial risk that the child will suffer from a serious deformity, abortion is permitted by the laws of Ghana. It is, however unfortunate that the laws do not translate into effective implementation,  resulting in unsafe abortion on the increase, and hence a possible contributor to Ghana’s high maternal mortality rate of 540 deaths per 100,000 live births. That is why GWV and IPAS Ghana have over the past 4 to 5 years equipped OTCMP and Pharmacists with the skills to reduce unsafe abortion in our communities. It is therefore the responsibility of health workers to refer clients to the next level of care; Ipas trained service providers in order to save a woman’s life.

Participants were also given a list of Ipas Ghana trained service providers and referral forms. The referral forms have two parts which they are supposed to keep part and give the other part to the client to be given to the Ipas Ghana service provider. This is to ensure that referrals and documentations are done properly.

Ms Nana Yaa Appiah appreciated the efforts of every participant and   encouraged them to make effective referral and translate the skills acquired during training into practice. She told the participants to also train their staff at their various pharmacy shops to ensure that they can represent them in their absence in the best possible way. She also informed them that Ipas Ghana and Ghana Women’s Voices will continuously engage them through monitoring visits. This is to ensure that they are making effective referrals and documentation and also enable them to tell their stories better.

The post Are We Saving Women’s Lives? first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

Maternal  mortality is the second most common cause of death among women in Ghana and more than one in 10 maternal deaths (11%) are the result of unsafe abortions. The few who survive experience complications from the procedure. This, however, happens because many women in need of abortion services tend to procure abortion termination services from unqualified providers. Unsafe abortion continues to claim the lives of our women and girls, although this situation is entirely preventable.

Everyday, people make critical decisions about their health and sexuality. In a country like Ghana, most people access health services through pharmacies. Pharmacies are basically the first point of call when one wants information about reproductive health including pregnancy termination. The Pharmacy Curriculum does not have any component of Comprehensive Abortion Care so equipping pharmacists with the skills to provide access to information on where to get safe abortion services as well as proper counselling has become one of Ghana Women’s Voices Foundation focus. Knowledge of the laws relating to abortion in Ghana is timely.

Ghana Women’s Voices (GWV) in collaboration with Ipas Ghana have trained over 200 pharmacists since 2009 in this regard. In 2015, 75 pharmacists in Accra, Koforidua and Kumasi  were trained as an intervention to reduce unsafe abortion in our communities. In December 2015, a review meeting was held to access the impact in their pharmacy practice, the meeting also sought to do the following:

• To appreciate the effectiveness and challenges in applying knowledge and skills learnt at the training sessions. (2014/2015)
• To effectively monitor and document what they do in order to make an impact in our communities. To update  participants’ knowledge on Medication Abortion and Pregnancy Dating using the Gestational Wheel.

The post Reviewing Pharmacists in 2015 first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.

On Saturday 6^th February, 2016 GWV Foundation paid Ruth a visit to her school, Social Welfare Vocational Training and Rehabilitation Institute (SWVIRI) when she had only spent a week there. During our visit, we encouraged her to take her academics seriously. We also listened to her experiences and how she is adapting to her new environment. Surprisingly, Ruth is very comfortable in her school as she has made a number of friends who are helping her catch up with academics because she was on late admission. We also had a conversation with her teachers and told them to give her all the necessary attention that would enable her graduate one day as a Fashion designer.

GWV Foundation again paid for all other expenses that would enable Ruth pursue her Fashion and Design course in comfort. As we left, Ruth promised GWV that she would not let our effort to impact her life positively be wasted. Thank you GWV was her farewell message to us.

The post Beyond the Correctional  Facility Visiting with Ruth first appeared on Ghana Womens Voices.