Nyug-maabu. That’s the name for arranged marriages in the Dagomba community in Northern Ghana where Malba lives.
Malba was a Junior High School garde 2 student who would rather read a book than watch TV. She dreamed of going to college and getting a good job. But, at the young age of 16, Malba’s parents married her off in an arranged manner.


Married at 16, Malba was suddenly faced with a future that looked very different from the one she had imagined. She hoped her new husband would allow her to complete her studies, but she was pregnant even before turning 17.
“Since then, I have hardly ever been allowed to step out of the house. Everyone goes out shopping, and for movies and neighborhood functions, but not me,” explains Malba. “Sometimes, when the others are not at home, I read my old school books, and hold my baby and cry.”
No girl should be forced to drop out of school, marry while still a child, or have children before she is ready. But just like Malba, this is what life looks like for many young girls in deprived communities in Ghana. In fact, 70% of girls ages 6-16 drop out of school. And one-third of women alive today who were married before 18 years old live in Ghana.
In some places in Ghana, there is a strong preference for having sons; girls are often considered to be financial burdens on their families, and are deemed unworthy of investment. So when Malba gave birth to a girl, she was met with anger from those around her. She was filled with love for her daughter, and yet she was blamed for not having a son.
Though Malba was forced to abandon her future plans and raise a family while still a child herself, it’s not too late for her daughter – or for thousands of other girls just like her.
“Hopefully, customs like Nyug-maabu and child marriage will be totally gone by the time my daughter grows up, and she gets to complete her education and marry only when she wants to,” says Malba.
Girls everywhere should be able to control their own lives and create the future they want. When a girl can say no to child marriage and yes to education, the impact is felt throughout her family, her country and our world.
Ghana is filled with bright, talented and hopeful girls like Malba – girls who love to read, go to school and work hard. Let’s work to build a better world by taking the first step: empowering a girl.

On July 25, 2015, Mr Mohammed Awal Abdallah spoke at the AID4Girls Leadership Summit! There was a line through the lobby and down the stairs as participants and chaperones eagerly tried to get seats in the hall, and the energy in the room was at an all-time high. The room was packed with 150 girls all rapt with attention as Mr Awal talked about one of AID4Girls’s main pillars – Education.

The most captivating part of his speech was when he put all of us in the shoes of the 62 million girls who can’t go to school. “Think about what it would be like to see your brothers going off to school every day while you were stuck at home,” he said.

It struck me how different how life is for many girls in deprived communities in Eastern region of Ghana. I imagine if I was a sister  of two brothers, I would most likely already have a husband and kids. And I’ would have been most likely at age15! The money from my marriage might have been spent to keep my brothers in school for a few more years while I stayed at home. I wouldn’t be educated and I wouldn’t have a voice.
During his speech, Mr  Awal pointed out that “an education doesn’t just transform a girl’s life, it transforms their communities, too.” This statement resonated deeply with me. Statistics show that girls reinvest 90 percent of their income into their family and communities, compared to only 30-40 percent for boys. This is why educating girls is so important: When a girl is educated she is more likely to educate her children, and her children will be more likely to educate their children, leading to a more educated society. Adolescent girls are the future of Ghana and their voices can move mountains if we let them speak.
“You all are here today because someone believed in you, because someone gave you the chance to be everything you would wantto be,” Awal told us. And he is right. Now it’s our job to be there for the 62 million girls who don’t have anyone who believes in them. The first step towards educating these girls is to have faith in them and give them the opportunity to go to school.
Once they have that chance, they truly can change the world.