Post Natal stress in Tamale

Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minister of Health

From: Edmond Gyebi, Tamale
The Chronicle has learned that several female workers in both the public and private sectors in the Tamale Metropolis often lose their jobs after going on maternity leave, following their inability to manage their work and the children at the same time.

Nursing mothers under the labour law are often given only three months maternity leave to cater for their little children, after which they are supposed to return to their normal duties. But the period seems to be too short for these nursing mothers, as they still carry the burden of commuting to and from their offices to breastfeed their kids at home.

The paper further learned that due to the difficulties these women go through in taking care of their kids, most of them are often compelled to stop work after child delivery, to enable them take care of their children, which also affects their economic situation.

The few others who show little care in taking care of their kids and rather concentrate on their jobs sometimes end up having problems with their husbands, who preferred them to rather take care of the kids.

Unlike traders and other self-employed mothers who always get time to take care of their little kids and, breastfeed them anytime they want, the parents among the working population in the Tamale Metropolis see child bearing as good but unbearable.

Madam Vida Afriyie, a Banker in the Tamale Metropolis, told The Chronicle that she was once asked to continue to stay at home by her former boss after giving birth to her first child, and could not return to work immediately, because the child used to fall sick a lot.

'Surprisingly, my husband was happy that I lost that job, because I would be able to take care of our child. But fortunately for me, my husband heard that there was a new school established in Tamale (Cambridge Garden Academy) trying to assist working parents to have a place for their kids in between working hours. By then my child was almost five months but they admitted her'.

However, when The Chronicle visited the Cambridge Garden Academy, which serves as the only private school especially established to provide comfort to parents who are workers, it was discovered that the school indeed offers some sigh relief to parents.

At the moment, close to three hundred working parents have their wards at Cambridge Garden Academy. The school admits kids from three months and takes care of them from 6 am till 5:30 pm when their parents have closed from work.

During vacations, the school also takes care of kids whose parents have special arrangement with them. At the time of our visit the Cambridge Garden Academy was carrying its 5th Graduation ceremony to promote those at the Kindergarten to Class one.

It was surprising how some of the kids advocated for peace in election 2012 through poetry recitals, an indication that they are also on top of their academic performance.

Some parents who have their kids at the Cambridge Garden Academy, including Madam Mariam Adam Kadri, Mr. Alhassan Ahmed Dauda and Mrs. Harriet Abban-Appiah, who spoke with this paper unanimously hailed the authorities of the school for coming with such wonderful vision to support parents in the upbringing of their kids.

Mrs. Harriet Abban-Appiah, who said she brought her first child to the school when she was less than five months could not quantify the comfort the school has brought to her. 'At first it was not easy for me taking care of my child and going to work. But when I brought her to this school they told me I should not bother to come during break to breastfeed her, because they have all the food complements so I became very happy, because apart from saving the money I was using for taxis, I also saw the baby was growing well and easily learnt how to speak'.