The Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) Group in collaboration with SheDecides Ghana, have undertaken the Community Canvas Project in Chorkor in Accra at the Extra O school park with the aim of using art for social change.
An artist and Chorkor indigene, Emmanuel Holm, who participated in the program, said “This is another way of giving back to the community and will serve as a reference point and we hope it communicates to the residents. It will serve as a reminder every day, and this gives me joy that my skills can make an impact in my community”.
The wall on which the mural is painted is the back of the Extra O school in Chorkor, which also serves as a football park where the youth spend a lot of their time, and also, a public bathroom/toilet facility which is visited often.
Two major activities happened on the 30th of April. There was support from UNFPA with dignity kits that contained toiletries and baby items which were presented to teenage mothers which preceded an interaction with these women and girls on sexual and reproductive health and rights with volunteers from Accra branch of Youth Action Movement (YAM) of PPAG.
There were participatory arts which involved community members, volunteers and members of FHL and Shedecides Ghana.
The team was also joined by some student volunteers of the Ghana International School (GIS). They painted on guidance with the local artist and SheDecides organizer, George Koranteng.
Speaking with a volunteer, who is also a community member, Patience Entsie, she said, “we realized that there are many organisations doing the education, but the stories were still the same. This is very different and new in this community and will go a long way to end teenage pregnancy and drug abuse.”
The mural has two smoking teens; a pregnant girl, and a boy in uniform. On the girl’s side of the canvas, she is following a nurse to a reproductive health clinic for education so she can make better choices for herself. She then goes on to become a teacher in the future and impacts the lives of other children.
On the boy’s side, he makes use of family planning methods, goes on to become a mechanic’s apprentice to learn the trade and owns an auto shop in the future. The mural seeks to depict alternative behaviours to prevent drug abuse and teenage pregnancy and shows some of the possible outcomes if they make the effort to avoid those vices.
FHL Group founder, Ms. Naa-Amy Wayne, a STEM and art advocate who has received training in artistic activism birthed this idea.
Coincidentally, the Greater Accra Region is perhaps the “most artistic region” in recent times considering the Chale Wote Street Art festival and the number of murals in and around Accra.
“From what we saw in the community, we believe that non awareness of the dangers and alternative solutions plays a big part in the promotion of these vices. The mural, therefore, will serve as a point of reference, a conversation starter and even a vision board for the youth in that community” Shedecides Ghana Lead, Angela Bortey.
The project strategy carried out a community survey and engaged with the inhabitants to find the social vices that plagued the youth.
A community survey of over 100 inhabitants revealed that teenage pregnancy and drug abuse were the main problems in the society and based on the results of the survey, a focus group discussion was held to come up with solutions which fed into the blueprint for the mural. This occurred concurrently with the search for a wall to serve as a canvas on which the mural will be painted as well as for a local artist to lead the painting.
The Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) Group is an NGO focused on increasing access to reproductive health information and services, and capacity building for young people in underserved communities.
She Decides Ghana is also a movement which advocates for a world where every girl and woman can decide what to do with their bodies, their lives and future.
