Renel Global

Sherifa Adams: A Journey from Forced Marriage to Education

Sherifa Adams, a 20-year-old young lady from Nasia in the Naleregu District in Ghana’s North East Region was born to Mr. and Mrs. Adams. In 2020, she graduated from Guakro Effa Secondary School Techiman and came out with excellent grades.  After completing her secondary education, her father informed her to prepare for her hand in marriage to a 75-year-old man who also doubles as the father’s friend in Naleregu as a fourth wife. She refused but was forcefully sent to the man’s house. Two weeks after staying in the man’s house, going through trauma, Sherifa started sending messages to known and unknown numbers saying she wants to commit suicide till the message got to the Renel Ghana Team. 

Immediately, an amount of Ghc 100.00 was sent to her to move out of the house to meet our Renel Northern Zonal Coordinator who then took her to our sister organization in the North called SUNG Foundation headed by Hajia Fati Seidu.

The case was reported to the National Child Marriage Unit under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the National Girls Education Unit under the Ghana Education Service.

A team made up of Mr. Nelson Richardson-Mandela of the Renel Ghana Foundation, Hajia Fati Siedu of the Sung Foundation, Mrs. Bushira, the Northern Regional Gender  Director, and a member of the Northern Domestic Violence Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service met Sharrifa’s Mother and her three sisters at Nasia on May 27, 2021 went to her rescue  Sheriffa refused to stay back because her mother said the moment we leave the community she will take her back to the man’s house.  Sharifa followed the team back to Tamale. Sherifa’s father sent a message that she is above 18 years so she must marry and that any decision she takes apart from marriage means she has been disowned by him.

She has been Renel Ghana’s responsibility ever since that day and the Ghana Nurses Association and Sung Foundation have been very supportive as well. At the Tamale Nursing Training School, Sharifa is joyfully pursuing a career in Midwifery . Her life has changed and an example to other young girls in her community. Renel Ghana Foundation with its partners have rescued 120 teenage girls so far from Human trafficking & Child / Forced Marriages. We have reintegrated about 70 percent of them back into Society. We gave them skill training, support their education and empower them accordingly.

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