Community Aid for Rural Development Ghana organized a weekend mentorship program in Wa connecting senior high school girls with female professionals to encourage educational persistence and leadership ambitions.
The “Girls Meetup with Mentors” event brought together students from six local schools under CARD Ghana’s She Leads Project, implemented with Plan International Ghana support. The initiative aims to increase young women’s influence in formal and informal decision-making spaces across the Upper West Region.
Acting Executive Director Ernestina Biney explained the program connects girls with role models who have overcome similar challenges while building successful careers. She emphasized that mentors can guide participants through educational and professional pathways based on personal experience.
Students attended from Wa Senior High School, Wa Senior High Technical School, Wa Technical Institute, Jamiat Islamic Girls School, TI Amass SHS, and Islamic Senior High School. Sessions focused on female professionals in male-dominated fields and young women leaders in higher education.
Yvonne Tengan Enyelko-anu, a Geomatic Engineer with the Lands Commission, shared her experience working in a predominantly male profession. She told participants that determination and passion matter more than physical strength when pursuing careers in technical fields.
“There is no limitation to what you want to become,” she said, encouraging girls to use mentorship opportunities and online resources to learn from successful women’s experiences.
IT Specialist Winifred Zoyaar from Noni Hub urged participants to persist despite challenges and setbacks. She reminded them that while pursuing education and careers involves difficulties, they should “always choose your hard” when faced with tough decisions.
Felicia Bagania, President of the She Leads Social Movement in the Upper West Region, emphasized education’s importance while warning about distractions like early relationships. She cautioned that peer pressure and teenage pregnancy can derail educational and career aspirations.
Other discussion topics included online safety and education’s broader role in developing young women’s leadership capabilities. The annual program provides a platform for direct interaction between girls and female mentors who share personal stories of overcoming obstacles.
CARD Ghana’s mentorship initiative addresses educational challenges facing girls in northern Ghana, where traditional expectations and economic pressures often limit educational opportunities for young women. The program seeks to counter these barriers through exposure to successful female role models.
