Student Spotlight: Bell and UNICEF in Ghana
Bethany Bell, MA candidate at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, traveled to Ghana to work in that nation’s Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
“This ministry is responsible for several areas including women’s rights, child protection, social interventions for the elderly and the poor, etc. As such, it is always quite busy,” said Bell. “I am working in the communications department; my position entails reviewing media reports, drafting press releases and speeches, documenting the work that the Ministry is doing and updating social media accounts.”
Bell (Pardee ’16), a native of Blytheville, Ark., is a member of the MA in Global Development Policy as well as a candidate for a Certificate in African Studies. After graduation, she intends to join a development or humanitarian relief organization that operates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“From this vantage point, I’ve gotten an up close view of how this ministry operates and been involved in several trips and events including most recently a landmark event: the national launching of a Child and Family Welfare Policy supported by UNICEF,” Bell said.
The policy was launched in July at an event in Accra, the capital city. It featured a keynote speech by Ghana Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who lauded the plan’s goal of establishing a coordinated system to promote the wellbeing of children in Ghana. It will provide a framework for updating existing laws with a focus on protecting children, as well as coordinating institutions that focus on child services.
For Bell, it’s been a little bit of culture shock.
“I found out quickly that Ghanaian men can be quite forward. While in Ghana I received a few outright marriage proposals including two from different taxi drivers,” Bell said. “I also experienced ‘to tros’ – van-bus hybrid vehicles that shuttle people all around, rarely in the greatest shape. Once as I was riding in one, the driver asked me to stand up. He then proceeded to pull up the panelling in the floor which revealed the engine and other inner workings of the car. He casually grabbed a bottle of oil (I think) and poured it in, replaced the panel, and invited me to sit back down.”
Nonetheless, Bell said that the experience she has gained has given her valuable experience in fostering government and nonprofit collaboration to drive social change.
“All in all, this has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience,” Bell said.
Ghana’s Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection (MoGCSP) was established in 2013. It exists to contribute to national development by achieving gender equality and equity, facilitate the enforcement of the rights of children, promote the integration and protection of the vulnerable, excluded and persons with disability in the development process through appropriate policies and strategies with adequate resources. Learn more here.