Fatima

I’m Fatima, a secondary student from Ghana. Today, I am thriving at school alongside my fellow classmates. However, I have faced many challenges throughout my education journey, and I almost did not make it to secondary school.

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I have three sisters and two brothers who live with my parents. I live with my grandmom to help her with household chores. When I’m in the house, I wake up early in the morning to sweep and clean, wash the dishes, cook, and fetch water for my grandmom to bathe.  On top of my chores, I also find time in the evenings to study and do my homework. When I find my homework difficult, I go to my friend’s house and we work together. 

The main barrier I faced in my education was when it was time for me to go to school, one of my relatives preferred me being in the house helping my grandmom. As my grandmom understood the importance of girls’ education, she was able to talk with this relative to help him understand why I should be in school. 

However, my challenges did not end there. When I first started secondary school, I would often feel bad because I didn’t have anyone to buy school supplies for me, unlike my fellow classmates. That made it hard to keep up in class and study for exams.

This all changed when a CAMFED Learner Guide  (who is like a ‘big sister’ and role model) came into our class and introduced us to CAMFED. I was told one morning by a Learner Guide that I was going to receive support from CAMFED. I was very happy. Now I am supported with exercise books, pens, calculators and more.

My favorite subject is mathematics as I really enjoy finding solutions to complex equations. Sometimes I help my fellow classmates when they are struggling with their work in class. 

Friendly CAMFED Association members (young women who have graduated from school with CAMFED support) come to our school to share their life stories with us, how they have made it, and how we can also succeed in life. They also helped us during the COVID-19 pandemic to study online, and this improved my studies despite the school closures. 

I actively participate in My Better World sessions – a lifeskills program delivered by CAMFED Learner Guides, which helps improve your life and the life of others. Through these sessions, I’ve learned how to live a healthy life and how to improve my education. But my favorite lesson has been in becoming a self-confident woman, and as a result my public speaking has improved. 

Learner Guides are different from teachers because they not only teach me how to do well academically, they also guide me in how to do well in my life. One of my role models is Madam Azaare, a Learner Guide who always comes to our school to spend time with us and to help us become better people in the future.