The Capital of Hope

by Mark Tuschman

During the course of 2007 and 2008 I made several trips to Ghana to document a microfinance operation in Pokuase, a small town approximately one hour outside the capital of Accra. I had traveled to Ghana for various photographic assignments and found the poverty pervasive and daunting. I wanted to see for myself if microfinance offered a possible solution, a pathway out of the endless cycle of hardship.

WomensTrust, a microfinance operation founded by Dana Dakin, afforded me the opportunity to document their projects. While the loans gave women a tangible sense of hope, the barter economy of Pokuase did not have much potential for growth and there was no buffer against economic uncertainties. I felt that the investment in girl’s education was the key to long-lasting change within the community and greater Ghanaian society.

The portraits of the young girls in this essay are some of over one-hundred girls receiving scholarships through a program of WomensTrust which enables them to continue with their education. Many of them are also in the Girls Exploration and Empowerment Club (GEEC), a three-year program that supports young women approaching secondary school. The Club curriculum is structured to provide critical thinking skills, cultivate imagination and provide role models.

Statistics have shown that educating girls is a vital component to economic development and long-term reduction in poverty as an educated girl is likely to have more opportunities, bare fewer children and insure that her own daughters and sons are educated. My experiences with these very talented young scholarship girls affirmed this sense of promise: their spirit, determination and eager and open minds stirred me with optimism. One can only imagine the possibilities and potential these incredibly bright and capable young women have to change the future in Pokuase and beyond.

Mark Tuschman on behalf of Womens Trust