She was desperate to abandon her 5-month-old baby when life became unbearable after her baby’s father and family dejected them.
But Hadiza, 19, now beams with smiles following the benevolent intervention by staff of The Multimedia Group in Kumasi, the Social Welfare Department, and other corporate donations.
The young mother and her baby are now safe and happy at a temporary abode at the Safe Child Advocacy home in Kumasi.
The Luv News team caught up with Hadiza who desires a vocation in hairdressing after witnessing the graduation ceremony of ten street girls who have completed a vocational training at her new home.
In ecstasy, Hadiza plays happily with her baby; one that had eluded them for weeks now.
“Everything is fine by God’s grace now”, she gladly thanks her deity for protection.
The 19-year-old with her 5-month-old daughter awaited this happy day after she was left to survive on her own on the streets of Kumasi.
Her 21-year-old boyfriend who promised to cater for her left mother and child to their fate, compelling her to nearly abandon her child after life became unbearable.
But she now beams with smiles following the benevolent intervention by the Kumasi Unit of The Multimedia Group and other philanthropists.
“Had it not been for the benevolent donations, I would have given my baby away. But now we are living happily. We take three meals a day now,” Hadiza happily recounts, after she and her baby stayed without good food for days.
She is now temporarily housed at the St. Louise De Marillac Vocational Training Centre together with other rescued street girls.
It’s estimated that over 20,000 children between the ages of 5 and 18 years roam the streets of Kumasi without care and parental guidance, shelter and other basic life necessities.
Many of these children, especially girls, have no access to education or vocational training, forcing them to grow up in poverty and constitute a societal nuisance.
The situation is feeding into the Ashanti Region’s disturbing statistics for teenage pregnancies.
Director of Safe Child Advocacy, an NGO set up by the Catholic Diocese of Kumasi to eradicate streetism, Sister Olivia Umoh says Hadiza is being offered psychological support to shape her.
“We are undergoing counselling to help her come to terms with her situation and begin to build a future. She needs to realise that there’s power within her to break out of this poverty to a great woman,” she said.
Established in 2013, Safe Child Advocacy has been a safe haven for children and young people living in abject poverty.
The facility provides livelihood support and skills training for survivors of streetism.
“We support them until they can stand economically. We help them learn skills. Today, we are graduating ten girls from our centre in hairdressing and fashion design,” she said.
Choristers of the training centre together with their caretakers, primarily Roman sisters of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi excitingly sing tunes of praise and dance happily.
A cheerful moment, it was, as ten girls of Safe Child Advocacy graduated from a two-year vocational training in dressmaking and fashion design.
With their well-wishers and family gathered at the ceremony, these young girls are fulfilled and ready to impact the world with their skills.
With her phone capturing the beautiful memories of these graduates, Hadiza hopes to also graduate in the hairdressing vocation.
“While I start the popcorn business, I will also learn hairdressing from this school,” she said.
As a haven, the training centre is facilitating the elimination of teenage pregnancy in the area.
“I’ve been a teacher in this area and I realize teenage pregnancy was on the ascendency. But since the establishment of this training centre, it has given a purposeful life to many of these young girls,” Assembly Member for Appiadu, Kenneth Owusu Bediako, said.
To help achieve its aim, Oforikrom Parliamentary aspirant, Mike Aidoo, is assuring financial assistance to facilitate activities at the centre to give hope to many such young girls.
“This falls within my vision. I am going to support the facility with some items so they can bring in more students. We will do everything possible to support this program,” he said.
For Hadiza and many ambitious street girls, vocational training and financial support would sweep them off the streets.