Margaret Achieves Her Dreams

A number of young girls in Ghana get pregnant after completing Junior High School and their dreams of becoming nurses, teachers, doctors, etc are shattered. Some of these pregnancies are a result of poverty and ignorance. As Ghana’s economy continue to improve, education and further expansion of health clinics in rural areas reduces pregnancies like this.

Margaret with her text books

Margaret, 43, became a mother after O-level (Junior High) but kept her dream of becoming a teacher alive. She started as a pupil (elementary) teacher in her community in 1994. She has been a beneficiary of Self-Help micro loans since 2003. She bought a deep freezer in 2005 which she uses to sell water and ice cream for additional income. She humbly admits that without the loans provided by Self-Help she and her 5 kids cannot survive. Margaret is not alone in her situation; as many group members rely on micro loans to provide for their families and pay their children’s school fees.

Just last year Margaret enrolled in a three year ‘Diploma in Basic Education’ program by distance learning. She has promised to focus the topic of her project work (thesis) on the work and influence of Self-Help. Margaret continually expresses her gratitude for Self-Help but prefers to call the Self-Help loan system ‘Semanhyia’ meaning Saviour.

Margaret with her children after returning from the farm with maize