When 20-year-old Enyonam dips her brush into a can of paint and lifts it to the walls of the Savana Signatures office, she’s not just covering concrete, she’s coloring in a personal journey of empowerment, resilience, and transformation.
A few years ago, Enyonam was like many girls in her community, facing limited options, caught in the grip of deeply rooted gender norms, and expected to conform to a life already prescribed for her by tradition.
“I didn’t know what I wanted for my life,” she recalls, smiling shyly. “Girls in my area were expected to cook, marry early, or help at home. There wasn’t much room to dream.”
The Life Changing Moment
But everything changed in 2019 when she joined the Girls’ Life Choices project in Central Tongu, part of the Better Life for Girls initiative spearheaded by UNICEF, KOICA, and implemented by Savana Signatures. Enyonam lost her source of livelihood after COVID-19 forced the closure of the private school she was teaching at.
The program targeted adolescent girls in underserved communities across Ghana, including Enyonam’s Adidome in the Central Tongu district, offering vocational training, mentorship, and life skills support to help them navigate a world that often overlooks their potential.
“I chose painting,” Enyonam says with pride. “It wasn’t a common choice for girls, but I wanted to try something different, something bold.”
The Empowerment
Through the project, she received not only technical training but also a starter toolkit, mentorship from a female master craftsperson, and emotional support from a network of peers and facilitators who believed in her future. For the first time, Enyonam began to see herself beyond the limitations imposed by her surroundings.
Her parents vividly remember the turning point.
“We had already started discussing marriage proposals,” her mother says softly. “We thought that was the only option left for her. But this project changed everything. It gave our daughter a second chance and gave us hope too.”
Between 2019 and 2021, the Girls’ Life Choices project reached 80 communities and trained 500 adolescent girls in non-traditional trades such as welding, masonry, auto mechanics, tiling, and painting. More than 2,000 girls participated in life skills training, while over 42,000 community members were reached through gender-sensitive engagements including sports events, radio broadcasts, and cultural dialogues.
The Impact
Today, Enyonam is no longer a beneficiary, she is a contributor. As part of a contracted team tasked with repainting Savana Signatures’ main office in Tamale, she has returned to the very institution that once helped shape her new path.
“It’s surreal,” she says. “I walk into this building every day with my tools, knowing that I was once the girl they were supporting. Now, I’m helping give this space a fresh start, just like they gave me.”
Her story is one of many that illustrate the transformative power of combining skills development with cultural change. The project didn’t just teach girls to paint, weld, or fix engines, it gave them confidence, agency, and voice.
“This is exactly the kind of impact we strive for,” says Emefa Ethel Ehla, Head of Programs at Savana Signatures. “Enyonam’s journey is proof that when we empower girls with practical skills and life-changing support, they not only transform their own lives, but they also begin to rebuild their communities.”
The numbers
The data supports the transformation, 96.3% of the program’s participants improved their reproductive health knowledge. All 500 girls gained sustainable skill, and 80 top-performing beneficiaries secured internships with companies and vocational partners. Beyond the numbers, the project succeeded in shifting mindsets, even among traditional leaders, many of whom now advocate for girls’ rights in their communities.
For Enyonam, the journey continues. She dreams of starting her own painting company one day, training and hiring other young women like herself.
“I want to show other girls that they can do this too,” she says. “If someone like me can learn, grow, and succeed, then so can they.”
Conclusion
As the sun sets behind the newly painted walls of Savana Signatures, Enyonam gathers her tools and heads home, leaving behind more than fresh paint. She’s left her story, her mark, and a legacy of what’s possible when girls are empowered to choose their own paths.
By: Prince Kwame Tamakloe/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana