By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
In the cocoa-rich Suhum Municipality of Ghana, a quiet revolution is unfolding on the football pitches of Jato and Aponoapono, communities within the municipality.
For years, these communities teetered on the brink of a heartbreaking cycle in which extreme poverty forced young girls into transactional relationships to meet basic needs such as food and sanitary pads. Such relationships often resulted in pregnancy. The communities began recording disturbingly high rates of adolescent pregnancies, accompanied by high school dropout rates.
A local phenomenon that gained currency involved a basic meal of cooked noodles in a pack (commonly known as Indomie), which became the attraction that lured young girls to commercial motorbike riders, popularly called okada riders.
The noodles became popular and, by the design of the pack, earned the nickname “laptop” among residents for the way it flips open. The top covering of the pack was likened to a laptop screen.
With these “laptops”, the riders lured the girls into sexual relationships, which gradually led to a spike in teenage pregnancy cases in the communities.
A changing narrative
However, the narrative is changing. Through Plan International Ghana’s Rooting for Change project, funded by Tony’s Chocolonely, football is being used as a transformative tool to reclaim the futures of young girls.
From vulnerability to the pitch
The Rooting for Change initiative, launched in late 2024, targets the root causes of teenage pregnancy in cocoa-growing regions. In Jato and Aponoapono, the project has integrated women’s football to challenge societal norms and provide safe, inclusive spaces for girls.
Football as a shield: Instead of being vulnerable to exploitation after school, girls are engaged in organised sports that build self-confidence and teamwork.
Peer advocacy
Young “change-makers” from these villages have been trained as peer educators to lead discussions on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).
Tangible results: zero pregnancies in Jato
The impact of this holistic approach, combining sports with community-led protection, is already evident.
The 2025 milestone
The Chief of Jato, Baffour Teitey Adjewi Narh III, addressing national officials from Plan International Ghana and journalists who visited the community to assess the project’s impact, said that before the project was introduced in 2024, the elders faced a major challenge with teenage pregnancy.
According to him, teenage pregnancy was very high.
“Almost every year, we recorded pregnant teenage candidates taking the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), and it was all because of the okada riders,” he said.
He explained that many girls depended on the riders for food and other school needs.
“Parents were not providing these essentials, so the girls sought them from the riders, who ended up sleeping with them.”
He added that since the introduction of the project, the community recorded no teenage pregnancies among BECE candidates in 2025.
“For the first time, the community recorded zero teenage pregnancies among candidates during the 2025 BECE,” the chief reiterated.
Voices from the community
In interviews with some of the children, they confirmed the elders’ accounts.
One of the girls, Mansah (not her real name), said that but for the project, she might have had multiple partners by now.
She said she previously had a boyfriend, although he was not an okada rider.
According to Mansah, she did not understand the implications of her actions at the time and was unaware she could become pregnant. However, the education she received through the project has changed her perspective.
“I have been advising girls who are still engaged in that behaviour to stop because it will not help them in any way. Some listen; others do not. Some of those who listened have completed school and are now in senior high school,” she said.
Amos (not his real name) said that although he did not have a girlfriend in the past, he was encouraged by friends to act as an intermediary between boys and girls.
“If someone needed a girl, I would go and call them for the boys. After having sex with the girls, they would give me money.
When the project was introduced and we were encouraged to love ourselves, I changed. Now, when I see boys doing that, it pains me, and I advise them against it,” he said.
Breaking dependency
By establishing Community Child Protection and Labour Committees (CCPLC), the project has sensitised parents to provide for their children’s needs, reducing girls’ reliance on okada riders for school supplies.
A spotlight on Aponoapono
In Aponoapono, the project is working toward an ambitious goal: empowering at least 800 adolescents, 60% of whom are female, by September 2026.
Youth-friendly services: The initiative ensures adolescents can access health services without discrimination or coercion, supported by partners such as the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service.
Community shielding
Local leaders and even okada riders are being brought into the conversation, turning former perpetrators or bystanders into active protectors of girls’ rights.
The future of the cocoa girl
As Rooting for Change continues in these communities, it demonstrates that when girls are given a ball, a safe pitch, and accurate health information, they can outrun the statistics.
In Jato and Aponoapono, the goal is no longer just on the scoreboard; it is seeing every girl complete her education free from the shadow of unintended pregnancy.
According to the project manager, Bless Vieku, the initiative uses a structured peer-education model to empower youth in cocoa-growing communities such as Jato and Aponoapono.
