enditnow.®
enditnow® awareness event in Accra draws more than 2,000 people
Led by women, the churches in Southern Ghana Union Conference go beyond church walls and take to the streets to share the message of enditnow® Adventists Say No to Violence.
West-Central Africa Division (WAD)
[Ghana] The campaign, enditnow® Adventists Say No to Violence, has been given attention and observed in the Seventh-day Adventist Church since its launch in 2009 by the General Conference Department of Women’s Ministries (GC WM). Seven GC departments now sponsor enditnow®.
The Women’s Ministries department of the Southern Ghana Union Conference planned a large campaign using the theme for 2017 enditnow® Emphasis Day, “Love Protects: healing the wounds of emotional abuse.” They decided to go beyond church walls and inspired church members to organize campaign marches in their own towns. The impact was greatly felt in two large cities Accra (Accra City Conference) and Takoradi (South West Ghana Conference).
Adventist women carry placards in the streets of Accra during enditnow street campaign One of four groups marching in the streets of Accra The destination of the march was the Ghana National Theatre, the venue for the enditnow program More than 2,000 people converge at the Ghana National Theatre in four groups from each direction in Accra Attendees rise for opening prayer at the afternoon meeting in the theatre The interior of the Ghana National Theatre The large hall was filled with spectators Adventist leaders taking part in the program are Dr. Chris Annan Nunoo, Executive Secretary of Southern Ghana Union Conference (left), with his wife (center), and Pastor S.O.T. Hammond, president of Accra City Conference (right) Speakers from stake holding communities Adventist dignitaries and stake holding community speakers Director of USAID National director of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit Director of Women's Ministries for Accra City Conference Director of ADRA/Ghana, Pastor Dr. Brown Dramatic performance of domestic violence: man beats his wife over late dinner Dramatic performance of domestic violence: woman burns her step-daughter with a hot iron Reaction of audience during the scene of abuse The abused step-daughter suffers physical as well as emotional abuse "One Voice" choral ensemble perform a song composed for the program Accra City Conference Women's Ministries in their traditional song ministration A poetry recital performed and customized for the program by Evelyn the Piper, from the department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana A group photograph of the dignitaries and district coordinators Accra City Conference Communication director and WM director interact with the media Media representatives attended the program The Media's Corner
Sunday afternoon in Accra, Ghana
Taking to the streets of Accra at 2:00 pm, October 15, 2017, more than 2,000 people—women, children, and men—carried abuse prevention placards and enditnow® banners as they marched from the four corners of the city to converge together at the Ghana National Theatre. For this campaign, the Ghana Police Service released twelve policemen to guard the entourages as they marched through principal streets of the capital city.
The Accra City Conference leadership extended the street campaign activities to a “Stakeholders’ Forum” at the Ghana National Theatre. The well-organized meeting in the large hall of the capital city was chaired by Southern Ghana Union Conference Executive Secretary, Pastor Dr. Chris Annan Nunoo, who also spoke about abuse and violence against women and children. Representatives for the stake holding communities included director of ADRA/Ghana; director of USAID; director of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit; and representatives for UNICEF and UNFPA.
A dramatic performance about domestic violence was presented by Women’s Ministries of the Accra West Central District in the Accra City Conference. A violent scene caused a deep emotional reaction from the audience. A special song on violence against women and children, customized for the program, was composed and rendered by “One Voice," a choral ensemble. A poem written for the occasion was also recited by Evelyn the Piper of the department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana. Members of the press covered the entire event.
Contributed by Christiana Agyenin-Boateng, WM director of Southern Ghana Union Conference
Published in Mosaic newsletter, Summer 2018
