“I Was Always Afraid”: What It Means to Grow Up Without a Safe Place to Go

It’s easy to take some things for granted.
The privacy of a locked door. The comfort of running water. The quiet dignity of a clean washroom.
But for four young girls in northern Ghana — Christiana, Deborah, Eva, and Jessica — these simple things were once unimaginable luxuries.

Before their schools had proper washrooms, every day was a test of courage. What they endured is something no child should have to face.

The fear that lived in the fields

Each girl told a story filled with the same unshakable fear — the fear of what could happen when nature called.

Christiana, just thirteen, used to walk long distances into the bush whenever she needed a toilet.

“I always had the fear that I could be raped whenever I went to the field,” she said. “I heard stories of girls being attacked, and I always felt scared.”

For Eva, the danger wasn’t just from people — but from the land itself.

“I was physically beaten by a man because I had used his field as a washroom,” she said quietly. “He used his belt and my whole body was bruised.”

Her mother remembers watching helplessly as her daughter’s spirit dimmed.

“I sometimes wished she was a boy so that she would not have to go through all the trauma,” her mother said. “Today, I see her smile all the time.”

Jessica, who lost her father when she was very young, tried to stay strong for her mother, but she couldn’t hide her terror.

“There were bad boys roaming around the fields,” she said. “I always feared being raped or kidnapped.”

And Deborah, a 14-year-old who dreamed of becoming a lawyer, described the day her classmates saw her in the bush.

“They told the other boys the colour of my pant,” she recalled. “I was really embarrassed. I could not come to school for several days.”

For all of them, something as basic as going to the washroom meant humiliation, fear, or danger. And when their menstrual periods came, they often stayed home entirely.

“I was frightened when my menstrual flow was drawing closer,” Eva said. “I always felt sad missing lessons because of lack of washrooms.”

When dignity disappears, dreams begin to fade

Each missed lesson became a wound not just to their education, but to their hope.

Christiana began to believe she might never pass her exams.
Jessica thought about dropping out to work and “be safe at home.”
Deborah stopped coming to school for days at a time.
Eva lost two weeks of class after being attacked.

“I was afraid I could end up getting married off and dropping out of school,” Deborah said. “Girls who get pregnant in my community are usually married off to the men who impregnate them.”

Without a proper washroom, their dreams — to be journalists, to be a lawyer, to lead — started slipping away.

Then, everything changed.

One morning, Christiana’s head teacher announced something that would transform their lives: donors were helping to build new, safe washrooms at their schools.

“I felt very happy,” she said. “My desire to be in school was renewed.”

The first time they each used the new washroom, they felt something new — peace.

“I sang and danced,” Jessica said. “I felt safe and secure.”
“I was jubilating and dancing in the washroom,” Eva laughed. “I knew I was safe from all the dangers.”
“I did not have any fear of attack,” Deborah added. “I was safe and could practice proper hygiene.”

Now, they attend school every day. They raise their hands in class. They study with confidence and pride.

Christiana won the Best Student Award at her school’s Speech and Prize Day.
Jessica was elected Class Prefect.
Eva was chosen to attend a Children’s Summit in Accra.
Deborah proudly joined her school’s quiz competition team — and her team won.

“I am very proud to be a girl and be in school,” Deborah said. “you have helped protect the dignity of the girls in my community.”

A toilet changed everything

Something so simple as a clean, private washroom has become the difference between fear and safety, shame and dignity, silence and learning.

Today, these girls walk to school with their heads held high. They no longer look over their shoulders in the field or sit uncomfortably through pain. They can dream again of futures that once felt too far away.

Christiana put it best:

“I feel safe and protected. I want to be in school each day because at home I do not have a modern washroom.”

You can help another girl feel safe

For thousands of girls still waiting for a safe place to go, the danger is real. Every day without a proper washroom is another day of fear, another class missed, another dream interrupted.

You can change that.

When you give, you’re not just building walls and doors you’re giving a girl her dignity back. You’re helping her stay in school, stay safe, and stay hopeful.

Because every girl deserves a clean, safe place to go — and a future full of possibility.

Help a girl like Christiana, Deborah, Eva, or Jessica feel safe, protected, and proud to be in school again.

Give a Gift for Good today