Three writers travelled to World Vision project areas in Ghana, Mauritania, and Senegal. They spoke with more than 100 mothers about their foremost fears for their daughters.
1. Early Marriage
In West Africa, many parents marry off their daughters early, sometimes as young as 13, to avoid the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock. In this region, 49 per cent of girls under 19 are already married .
World Vision Response
In West Africa, staff members talk to parents of sponsored children about the dangers of early marriage and the importance of keeping girls in school. Girls who become pregnant between 15 and 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as women in their 20s. Educated women marry later and are more likely to have fewer and healthier children.
2. Maternal Mortality
Most West African women have lost a sister, a cousin, a friend, or even their own mothers to pregnancy complications. In Mauritania, one in 16 women die in childbirth . Most of these deaths can be prevented if a trained birth attendant is present. But a skilled attendant assists in less than 40 per cent of all births.
World Vision Response
Staff members conduct seminars for women about birth spacing and prenatal and delivery care. With child sponsorship funds, World Vision has constructed hundreds of health posts across West Africa.
3. Divorce
Divorce and abandonment are critical problems in West Africa where up to 60 per cent of women raise their families alone . Unemployment is high and husbands often travel to other towns or neighbouring countries to find work. Some meet other women and formally divorce their wives; many just never return.
World Vision Response
Across West Africa, World Vision provides low-interest loans to thousands of women to start small businesses. These ventures enable both married and divorced women to be more self-sufficient and to better support their children.
4. HIV/AIDS
Many people across Africa are talking about HIV/AIDS, the pandemic that has already killed 17 million Africans and left 12 million children orphaned . Poor girls are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS because many work as domestic servants and are often abused by male employers.
World Vision Response
In 2003, World Vision launched a youth program in Mauritania. Teens learn about AIDS prevention and devise awareness campaigns to reach people in their communities.
5. Education
Across West Africa, mothers are adamant that their daughters go to school. But most can’t afford it. As a result, more than half of school-aged children in Mauritania and Senegal don’t attend class . Girls have been particularly disadvantaged. They’ve been held back by tradition as well as economics.
World Vision Response
In Ghana, Mauritania, and Senegal, more than 57,000 sponsored children receive assistance with education . Staff members also ensure that girls are enrolled and attend class.
Story by Karen Homer in Mauritania, with reports from Faustina Boakye in Ghana and Debi Biess in Senegal
