CARD Ghana holds stakeholder review meeting on She Leads project in Wa

Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD Ghana), a non-governmental organization (NGO), has held a regional stakeholder review meeting of the She Leads project in Wa.

The meeting, held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, brought together stakeholders from government agencies, community leaders, youth leaders, and partners to review the project's progress and impact.

Ms. Ernestina Biney, Acting Executive Director of CARD Ghana, highlighted key achievements of the project in transforming gender norms and improving female representation in leadership and decision-making.

She noted that there have been shifts in gender roles in some households where boys now sweep, fetch water, and cook – roles that were previously reserved for girls.

According to her, this progress was made possible through innovative programming, including sensitization campaigns and cooking competitions.

Ms. Biney also cited success stories of young women and girls who have taken up leadership positions in schools at all levels, from basic to tertiary.

She explained that girls are now contesting and winning positions that were once considered male-dominated, including SRC Presidents and Senior Prefects.

This, she added, has been achieved through mentoring, coaching and confidence-building efforts that encouraged girls to step forward for leadership roles.

Pognaa Amamata Mumuni, Queen Mother of Duori and Wa Municipal Coordinator of Girl Child Education, commended the project for its significant impact on girls’ education.

She highlighted the project’s support in building awareness around the reentry policy that allows adolescent mothers to return to school after childbirth.

She further indicated that trainings provided to queen mothers have enhanced their leadership roles and encouraged younger women to embrace queen motherhood.

Zakaria Osman, a Male Champion of Change from the Chegli community, shared how the project has changed community perceptions about girls’ education.

He recalled that pregnancy previously meant an automatic end to a girl’s schooling, but that the project has made it possible for girls to continue to term and reenter after childbirth.

He also pointed out instances where girls have been rescued from early and forced marriages through the project’s interventions.

The She Leads project seeks to increase the sustained influence of girls and young women in leadership and decision-making across both formal and informal spaces.

The five-year project, now in its final year, is being implemented by CARD Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana across five communities and six senior high schools in the Upper West Region.