Racheal Hesse Matey with students at the launch of the club
Friends of Little One School (FOLOS) has launched its maiden teen girls club, the FOLOS Girls Club, described as a dynamic sisterhood of young girls united by purpose, passion and power.
The club, a movement of young women daring to dream, lead and transform their communities, was launched to ignite confidence in teenage girls and equip them to shape their own future.
Speaking at the event, Ghanaian midwife, Racheal Hesse Matey, said the vision of the initiative is to build confidence, equip girls to advocate for their education and champion gender equality.
Addressing the girls, the midwife encouraged them to stay focused, determined and hardworking in pursuit of their career aspirations. She urged them to take their studies seriously and to rely on the support of parents, teachers, and mentors.
Ms. Hesse Matey also cautioned the teenagers about negative peer influence and pressure from boys and men. Referencing a drama performed at the event where a girl was lured by friends into relationships for material gains, resulting in loss of virginity and teenage pregnancy, she warned the girls to embrace positive influence and avoid relationships that could derail their future.
Sharing experiences from her over 15 years of practice as a midwife, she revealed that she has attended to pregnant girls as young as 14 and 15 years, with some also contracting sexually transmitted infections including HIV.
She advised the girls to open up to their parents and teachers about challenges they face and to adhere to guidance given to them.
Ms. Hesse Matey commended the club’s motto, “Strong Together, Brighter Tomorrow,” noting that it reflects the essence of unity in securing a bright future. She said the club stands for confidence, education, leadership, sisterhood and support, gender equality and advocacy, as well as service and positive impact.
“Being a girl child is not all. Being a woman is not all. It goes beyond that. If you educate a woman, you have educated a whole nation,” she emphasised.
The FOLOS Girls Club is established to raise and nurture girls to achieve their goals while advocating against early marriage, child labour, teenage pregnancy and gender inequality.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke