In a coastal region of southern Ghana, six women are nearing the end of professional training and educational programs funded by the first of what is hoped to be many rounds of available scholarships for women in the region. Among them are a physician’s assistant, an engineering student, and the only female architect to come from Elmina, Ghana.
“They are trailblazers,” Fr. Joseph Blay, OFM Conv, said of the students. “They are working to serve their community while seeing the value in helping others in the transformation of society.”
Fr. Joe, a native of Ghana, manages the scholarship funds for six women in the Southeastern region of the country thanks to donations provided through the Franciscan Mission Association (FMA), a ministry of the Franciscan Friars Conventual of the Our Lady of the Angels Province. The six scholarships – three full and three partial – funding education programs for women in Southeastern Ghana, were established thanks to $15,000 in gifts in 2020.
“The intention of this program is to focus on women because when you educate women, you educate their whole family,” Fr. Joe said. “The girls know the value of an education and then can support the education of their children. This is how we break the poverty chain.”
All the women on scholarship today are studying in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields. The scholarships cover tuition and fees for students who otherwise would not have been able to afford their education, Fr. Joe said, with sometimes funding just giving families the boost they need to get started.
He added promoting greater gender equality and empowerment for women benefits the entire community, as more often than with men, women remain at home following their education. He said he has been proud to see the women on scholarship today choosing careers that will directly give back to their hometowns and the future generations that live there.
As an example, Linda, the architecture student, is finishing up her architecture degree at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and has begun creating renderings for a new school in her hometown. The women studying medicine are volunteering in clinics closer to home, as well.
“We are praying we can get more girls on a scholarship,” Fr. Joe said, adding that many more young women in the region are interested. “I think we can do something truly transformational.”
The FMA funds special projects of the Franciscan Friars Conventual as they continue the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi – caring for our poorest brothers and sisters. For more than 100 years, the FMA has supported foreign and domestic missions of the friars and today supports ministries in more than 65 countries.
Fr. Joe has served in Rome as Delegate General for Justice, Peace and Integrity for Creation for the Franciscan Friars Conventual. He has also worked with the Companions of St. Anthony to secure funding for critical medical equipment donated to a clinic he started in his hometown of Jema.