As a child sponsor, you are changing the world for children living in Ghana

In Ghana, Mariama is raising five children, including her 14-year-old niece Ayisha. As her aunt, Mariama does everything in her power to make sure that Ayisha has the opportunity to go to school and to achieve her dreams.

Mariama knows the importance of a girl’s education and works hard for her children. Ayisha is the second youngest child in her care and Marima hopes that Ayisha receives the opportunities that she, herself, missed.

“I did not get the opportunity to go to school and I know I missed a lot. I will not allow such to happen to my children,” Mariama told us. “Education is one of the keys to success. I want my girls to become nurses, doctors, and engineers in the future.”

When school is out, Ayisha spends her days at home helping with housework. When they’re not cooking and cleaning together, Ayisha bonds with her aunt through stories.

“Being at home, my Aunty tells me many different story tales. We read story books together,” Ayisha said. Reading to Mariama helps Ayisha practice her English, which is her favourite school subject.

During COVID—19, school closures disrupted Ayisha’s learning and she worried that she would miss her exams and not graduate. Global lockdowns continue to create setbacks for girls’ education, which can come with devastating costs, such as impacting familes’ incomes and forcing many young girls in Mariama and Ayisha’s community to do kayaayee—smalll labour jobs in big cities like Accra and Kumasi.

“Some girls' families rely on them to earn money from kayaayee to support the household. They have to drop out of school.” Ayisha said about some of her peers.

Lockdowns also increased the prevalence of early pregnancy, trafficking and domestic violence for young girls. So while post-COVID life has predominantly resumed normalcy, educators in Ayisha’s community remain concerned that girls will not return to school because of early pregnancy and forced migration.

Mariama works hard to make sure her girls stay in her care and continue their education. Her farm and small goods store suffered during the pandemic, but despite this, she continues to save all she has for Ayisha’s educational dreams.

“I know my income sources were reduced because of COVID—19 and I may still struggle sometimes to provide all that she needs for schooling, but I will never compromise on Ayisha’s education,” Mariama told us with great determination.

A strong mother figure, Mariama strives to see her nieces’ dreams come to fruition. As a proud aunt, she gushes about Ayisha’s sweet, respectful and quiet nature. She hopes that one day Ayisha will achieve her dream of becoming a nurse or doctor and help her community, country and beyond with her skills. Because of the tireless efforts of women like Mariama, girls in Ghana have the support and love that they need to succeed at school, and in turn, become role models for little girls around them.

Canadian Feed The Children is partnered with RAINS in Ghana. For you, the donor, they are the boots on the ground transforming your generosity into meaningful, measurable results with children and families.

Formed in 1993, RAINS is a registered non-governmental organization and a CFTC local partner since 2005. RAINS works to advance children’s education, tackle child labour, support women’s livelihoods and promote climate-smart agriculture through grassroots capacity-building in the sustainable use of natural resources. RAINS is focused on improving the quality of life for vulnerable groups, especially children, women, girls, and people with disabilities.

Together, we are providing nutritional support and access to education to children and their families.