The Parenting Conversations series grew from UNICEF Ghana’s plans for Parenting Month. After the Kids Edition of UNICEF Talks created space for children and adolescents to share their experiences, we turnedthe microphone to another important voice in a child’s life: parents.
Under the broader UNICEF Talks digital series, the Advocacy and Communication team developed and produced the Parenthood Edition to bring parents together for honest conversations about the joys, fears, challenges and lessons of raising children.
Parenthood extends far beyond a day or month. It unfolds daily in homes, schools, workplaces and communities, and no two journeys look the same. We invited colleagues from across UNICEF Ghana to set aside their professional roles and speak as parents and caregivers about what they have learned and are still discovering.
Creating a Space to Be Parents First
A corner of UNICEF Ghana became a makeshift studio, with office chairs rearranged to create a warm setting where parents could speak openly. Across seven conversations, colleagues at different stages of parenthood explored the future, identity, single parenting, work-life balance, knowing their children, child protection and fatherhood.
Episode 1: Raising the Future Generation
Raising the Future Generation brought together Nirav Shah, a first-time parent and PM&E Manager, and Ivy, mother of youth advocate Fafali. Despite their different cultures and stages of parenthood, they foundcommon questions: how to guide children without controlling them and prepare them for an uncertain future. For Nirav, Ivy’s experience as a mother of older children offered a valuable glimpse of the road ahead.
Episode 2: When Parenthood Meets the Workplace
Honorine Niyomana (Supply Manager) and Belinda Kumah Otumfo (Administrative Associate) discussed identity, self-care, work and motherhood. Belinda described rediscovering herself after depression and feeling consumed by caregiving a reminder that caring for a child should not require a parent to disappear. Honorine reflected on raising a child living with a disability, navigating societal judgement with support from her family and community.
Episode 3: Single Parenting – Finding Strength in the Everyday
Paulina Sarvilahti (Chief of Social Policy and Inclusion) and Margaret Helechy (Administrative Associate), both single mothers and boy mums, spoke about raising children while managing work and family life. Amid the challenges, Margaret shared a lighter moment: after seeing her on screen, a neighbour joked, “Now we believe you work with UNICEF.” The exchange challenged the assumption that working for children means having family life completely figured out.
Episode 4: Knowing Your Child and Learning to See Them for Who They Are
Anna Mensah (Executive Assistant) and Paa Kwesi Woode (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Officer) reflected on seeing children as individuals. Anna noted that children raised in the same home can have very different personalities and perspectives. Paa saw this in his own children even in something as simple as their food preferences reinforcing that parenting cannot be one-size-fits-all.
Episode 5: Parenting and Work-Life Balance
Augustine Attiah (Implementing Partnership Specialist) and Fauzia Abukari (Nutrition Officer) explored the challenge of balancing work with being emotionally and physically available to children. Augustine voiced a quiet fear familiar to many working parents: wondering whether children are safe and cared for while away from home. Speaking with Fauzia helped him recognise that he was not alone in that worry.
Episode 6: Raising Children Through a Child Protection Lens
Lucia Soleti (Chief of Child Protection) and Kamil Sani (Administrative Officer) discussed the role parents play in keeping children safe. Lucia shared a difficult childhood experience of harassment through phone calls and the protection she received from her parents:
“As UNICEF staff, I work every day for children to be safe. During this parenting talk, I experienced the power of such a safe space myself. For the first time, I felt able to speak openly about difficult experiences from my childhood. Sharing my story and reflecting on the care and support I received from my parents and my current role as a parent, reinforced my conviction that children flourish when they know they are loved, listened to, and never alone.”
Her reflection underscored that child protection is not only about preventing harm, but also ensuring children know they can speak, be heard and seek support.
Episode 7: The Role of Fathers in Raising Children
Manuel Dewez (Chief of Health) and Imrana Haruna (Education Officer), both girl dads, reflected on fatherhood and raising daughters. Their conversation highlighted that fathers contribute not only by providing, but also by listening, nurturing, guiding and participating actively in their children’s lives.
Seven Conversations. One Shared Journey.
Across the seven conversations, different stories and circumstances revealed shared hopes: to keep children safe, understand them, guide them with love and be present when they need us.
The series allowed colleagues to connect beyond their professional roles and reminded us that working for children does not mean having all the answers about raising them. Parents worry, learn, make mistakes, ask for help and try again.
Ultimately, it takes parents, caregivers, families, communities and all of us to create the safe and supportive environments every child needs to thrive.
