They have also been advised to take a cue from females who had succeeded in many endeavours through determination, focus and hard work amidst the challenges they faced.

Ms. Yvonne Enyelko-anu Tengan, a Geometric Engineer at the Upper West Regional Lands Commission, who gave the advice, emphasised: “You can do anything you want to do, no matter the situation you find yourself.”

She was speaking during a panel discussion in Wa at the weekend during a mentorship session for schoolgirls in the She Leads project partner second cycle institutions - Wa technical Institute, T. I. Ahmadiyya, Wa Islamic, Jamiate Islamic, Wa Senior High Technical and Wa Senior High Schools.

The Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD-Ghana) organised the session, christened “Girls Meet-up with Mentors”, in partnership with Plan International Ghana under the She Leads project implementation.

It featured successful females and female leaders in tertiary institutions as mentors who shared their life experiences with the girls and the best practices to adopt to succeed.

Ms. Tengan told the girls that if other females could brace their challenges to succeed, with a positive mindset, and access to the right mentorship and guidance, they could also succeed.

“As a young girl, you should know what you want, take your time, pursue what you are supposed to pursue”, she stated.

Ms. Winifred Zoyaar, an Information Technology (IT) Specialist and Social Media Innovator at NoniHub, an IT firm in Wa, advised the girls to be cautious of their activities on social vices as that could haunt them in the future.

She explained that they were building a portfolio of themselves on the internet with information and images they were posting on social media platforms such as Facebook and that could hamper their access to certain opportunities.

Ms. Ernestina Biney, the Executive Director of CARD-Ghana, said the “Girls Meet-up with Mentors” was an annual activity to create opportunities for the girls to interact with mentors to guide them, especially in their career paths and education.

She said it was one of the avenues the She Leads Project had adopted to empower girls and young people to navigate the socio-cultural and economic challenges to achieve their life aspirations.

Mrs. Felicia Baganiah, the National Focal Person of the She Leads Social Movement, advised the girls against succumbing to peer pressure to indulge in activities such as amorous relationships as that could mar their prospects.

She took them through online safety, managing relationships at the adolescent stage and the importance of education in their meaningful development.