Raising Girls Who Know Their Worth: Fortune speaks on Empowering the Girl Child

By Karen Date

It is quite fascinating how our innate talents and desires find a way to make themselves known, no matter how hard we try to suppress it. A few days ago, I hopped on an Instagram Live conversation hosted by Ophelia of OMT’s Digest, featuring her guest, Fortune Morkporkpor on the topic dubbed “Empowering the Girl Child”. Fortune is a lecturer, an amazing mother of two, and also the founder of Biology of the Girl Child Summit; an empowerment and educational initiative that focuses on adolescent health, reproductive rights, and self-confidence for young female students in Ghana. The Instagram Live conversation was about empowering the girl child. A topic which is not new to many, but still highly important.

Fortune eased into the conversation by firstly sharing how her activism for the girl child came about. She shared her strong disdain of seeing people, especially those in her close circle feel intimated and small. She recounted when as a young girl she wrote a letter to the headmistress of her older sister’s all girls vocational school addressing the behavior of a male teacher who was making the lives of the students a living hell. To her surprise, the aim of her letter achieved its purpose. She looks back now and realizes how that situation reared the head of the activist in her.

Her transfer to the Western Region from the Greater Accra Region to teach also opened her eyes to the need to groom the young ladies in the school she taught in. She observed how these girls walked, talked, sat and even handled menstruation, found it appalling and then decided to address it by introducing them to proper grooming. The more she addressed the matter, the more intense her realization of how great the matter at hand was.

Further into the conversation, Fortune shares how as a hall warden she became privy to a lot of information about the girls in the school. One that has stuck with her since is about one of her students who had to be rushed to the hospital because she was unknowingly pregnant and was experiencing an ectopic pregnancy too. An ectopic pregnancy was no stranger to Fortune as she had also experienced an ectopic pregnancy which caused a rupture in one of her fallopian tubes – a very difficult time in her life. Her students’ situation filled her with immense grief which in turn propelled her into boldly picking up the mantle of becoming an activist and advocate of the girl child.

Biology of the Girl Child’s sessions begin with open circle groups with each group containing about 20 members, discussing various topics pertaining to the health and knowledge of young girls. These topics include communication, self-confidence, infections, menstruation, pregnancies and abortions among many others. The small group settings help the girls feel comfortable enough to share their thoughts and experiences, as opposed to sharing them in a large audience which could cause them to feel shy. After the group sessions, the girls come together as a large group and are addressed by professionals who impart them with better and expert advice.

Fortune joyfully recounted a fulfilling moment during one of the organization’s sessions at a senior high school where the girls drew a diagram of the female reproductive system and were fascinated to put a face to an ovary.
After each session, essential supplies such as sanitary pads, pocket tissues and books are given to the girls. Sharing these items may seem like a simple gesture, but these essentials can help instill dignity, confidence, good hygiene habits, and a love for learning in young girls who may not otherwise have easy access to them.

As much as Biology of the Girl Child Summit focuses on young girls, men are actually not left out of the conversations. During the Live, Fortune shared that there have been sessions where male teachers were present, and even sessions with just males present. She emphasizes that men are part of the society and reiterates the need for understanding the biology of both genders and how we interact socially. During this part of the Live session, Fortune drew attention to the fact that some men have openly acknowledged how a lack of firm boundaries can make girls more vulnerable to being taken advantage of. It is important that girls take note of such conceptions and stand firm on their values and boundaries.

Towards the end of the conversation, Fortune shared an advice to all girl parents. She stressed on the need for parents to speak to their children about everything and to be very present in their lives. She went on to express the importance of educating daughters on how difficult and complicated motherhood is and how long it takes for the female body to heal after birth. A very important point which I believe should be propagated more.

Watching this Live took my mind back to many of such sessions we had back when I was in senior high school. They were very informative and greatly contributed to making us the well-rounded women that we are today. I am particularly glad to see that the mantle is being stewarded by intelligent women such as Fortune. This gives me confidence that the next generation of women are in safe hands. I also call on women to be intentional about supporting, guiding, and looking out for the young girls around them.

This laudable initiative, Biology of the Girl Child has growth at its core. Their next course of action is to tackle disturbing topics such as the prevalence of unsafe abortions among teenage girls, among several other issues.
To follow the work and support the efforts of Fortune and Biology of the Girl child, follow Fortune across these channels.

Instagram: fortunemorkporkpor
Tiktok: Fortune Morkporkpor Adalevo
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/fortune.adalevo

Instagram Live with Fortune Morkporkpor

View this post on Instagram

---