MercySalifu

The idea of fitting in and the extent to which people go to in an attempt to fit into a group that we aggrandize or think of being a part of just to fill the void we have is enormous. I have found myself most times feeling like the outsider but what I have realized over the years that, most of the times when I felt like an outsider it was because I was trying to be part of a group that really was not fit for me, a round peg in a square hole; looking and chasing after validation and acceptance of people who were not just my kind. My kind are people whom I share the same values with, who respect and show kindness to people regardless of age and status. It is effortless to feel a sense of belonging when you are not contorting yourself into a human pretzel in order to get people to let you hang out with them If you have to pretend or lie in other to fit in, it means those people aren’t your people. It doesn’t mean they are bad; they are just not your kind. There are plenty ...

Far too often many of us spend too much time worrying about and taking care of others and neglecting our own well-being. I have learnt that you are able to give the most to others when you give first to yourself. Personal development is something I work on and practice every day. And trust me it is not always easy, but, just like any other skill, it takes practice.  The journey of personal development doesn’t have to be anything grand. The real results happen in making small daily changes as simple as remaining yourself each day before bedtime of your “WHY” (purpose in life) and waking up asking yourself, “How can I be better and what steps can take today to bring me closer my dreams?” Too often we make excuse about how busy we are and why certain projects in our lives cannot be done now, yet we find time to gist about the latest gossip in town. Remember, it’s not about having time, it’s about MAKING time, your personal development and growth depends on it. So get out th...

Enter a caption[/caption] trafficking is an international problem affecting millions of people and many countries around the world. In Ghana, West Africa, the internal trafficking of children is one of the biggest challenges. Many Ghanaian children are trafficked from their home villages to work in the fishing industry, farming in the tropics and selling on the streets. Living in meagre conditions and working long hours every day, these kids are exploited by people desperate to make money at all cost both in rural and urban communities. Created by the construction of the Akosombo dam in the early 1960s, Lake Volta is one of the world's largest artificial lakes. A number of fishermen who have depended on the bounties of the lake for many years report that fish stocks are decreasing, making it difficult to survive off fishing alone. Other work is scarce in a country where unemployment is widespread and approximately 40 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. The ...

One of the most painful things to experience is having irresponsible talk directed against you. It can be perpetuated by people close to you or far from you and it’s done in your absence, denying you the opportunity to mount a defense, ruining your dignity and integrity in the process. People who looked up to you upon hearing such gossips tend to form a perception and an attitude towards you. These perceptions and attitudes formed can take you forever to erase. A vicious tongue can break bones ; they have been the ruin of many people who were minding their own business. Many have had their lives ruined and have been driven from their place of comfort because of people who meddled in their business. Such unwanted interference has resulted in the destruction of people’s career, businesses and homes of respected people.   Meddlers have caused faithful wives and husbands to be divorced, glowing relationships to breakup, celebrities to lose their shine, faithful workers to be ...

  When you make a phone call to someone who does not know you, start the conversation by introducing yourself instead of hello. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call that means they have something more important to attend to. When you are in a multilingual group, use a language that everyone in the group understands Treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rude you are towards someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with dignity. If you tease someone and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next. Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘why aren’t you married yet?’ Or ‘why don’t you have kids’ and when meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary. When a colleague is leaving the organization, don't ...

I was born in an era where Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was prevalent and some young women from Upper West and East region of Ghana found it a privilege to participate in these rituals. Growing up I read about the adverse effect of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at my elementary stage and what government and NGOs were doing to eradicate such practices. The knowledge I acquired then about FGM practices was just for examination purpose; this knowledge was not impactful psychologically and emotionally on me until I started asking questions about what really is FGM. After getting feedback from the series of questions I posed and researching intensively into the matter I finally realized that FGM is a whole lot more than I know and it has lasting physical and mental consequences on victims and therefore needs to be discussed so that girls and women no longer have to suffer in silence Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as defined by Wikipedia is the removal o...