SARAH ATENIBILLA’S PASSING OUT
Beautiful melodies are ringing, shouts of joy are resounding, a crowd is forming and the smiles are just heartwarming. This was the atmosphere on the 12th of May, 2023 at the Teshie Market Square as the community gathered to celebrate Miss Sarah Atenibilla Alalbugri Nduego on the occasion of her passing out ceremony.
A teenage Sarah had left her hometown in search for greener pastures in Kumasi, but had to return due to an incident of child molestation causing her to become a mother at such a young age, with almost nothing to show for her ventures. In 2019, Haven of Love Foundation through the initiative of Dr. Mary Mensah-Anochie and the support from the CEO, Mr. Samuel Djirackor, sought to help Sarah stand on her feet. Funds were raised from friends and patrons to sponsor Miss Sarah and other girls in similar situations to learn skills that would help them become financially independent.
Miss Sarah successfully completed her training in sewing, was inducted into the sewing association of the Bawku West District and had a beautiful graduation ceremony where she was surrounded and celebrated by well-wishers as she danced in outfits she had designed and sewn herself. This ceremony also served as an avenue to educate other girls in attendance to strive hard to empower themselves through education and skill acquisition.
This initiative has also arranged for Miss Sarah to open her own shop where she will make a living for herself and her precious child. In the future, Miss Sarah can also serve as a trainer for other girls who will be inducted into this same initiative, hence fulfilling one of the missions of this foundation: to improve the quality of life of vulnerable and marginalized children in rural communities between 0-18, which in turn develops the socio-economic wellbeing of the country.
Stories like Miss Sarah’s are happening all around Ghana, especially in Northern Ghana where the standard of living is relatively lower compared to other regions in the country and education of the girl child is generally considered unimportant. As an organization, Haven of Love foundation is doing its part to positively impact the lives of these people one community at a time and as individuals, we can also contribute to this good work by supporting initiatives such as this in cash or kind or in our own way, showing love to the young girls around us by buying them a book. Marian Wright once said “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee”. Change a life today!
Posted On:
June 4, 2024
