With a boost of iron, Tunteya gets superpowers, defeats anemia
Girls in Ghana embrace iron and folic acid tablets to take back their health, education and futures.
Wednesday mornings at the Choggu Yapalisi junior high school in the city of Tamale in Ghana are anything but ordinary for 15-year-old Mashud Nuratu Tunteya. As the clock strikes 9, the school transforms into a health clinic of sorts, as Tunteya and her fellow female students receive combined iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets.
This weekly ritual is a cornerstone of an initiative designed to address the unique health challenges faced by Tunteya and other teenage girls in Ghana, where four in ten adolescent girls suffer from anemia. As girls reach puberty, they undergo rapid physiological changes, including increased nutritional needs and the onset of menstruation. Girls that do not have enough meat, eggs, legumes, leafy greens or other protein in their diets – mostly due to poverty – already have low iron levels. This is when growth spurts and the blood loss that happens during menstruation compound the risk of anemia.
Anemia causes fatigue that is often so severe that it can be difficult to complete simple tasks, let alone concentrate on learning grammar and trigonometry. If left untreated for long periods of time, severe anemia can put strain on the heart and kidney, increasing the risk of grave complications such as heart and kidney failure. In children, anemia can hamper cognitive and motor development, and in women it can lead to pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, premature birth, as well as higher risks to lose their lives when giving birth.
Sadly, there are also intergenerational burdens from anemia. Babies born to anemic mother usually have a low birth weight, and have a lower chance of surviving their first years and of growing up healthy.
Students and teachers join up as champions
Tunteya remembers how she used to feel before her school launched the IFA initiative with UNICEF’s support. Hopelessly tired, she often missed school and it was difficult for her to concentrate. But when the weekly boost of iron and folic acid kicked in, her health, well-being and everyday life changed radically for the better.
"Now, I can attend school, study better and do my chores without problems," says Tunteya, who has become a passionate champion for IFA, encouraging her classmates as well as students from other schools to prioritize their health with a weekly dose of IFA.
Tunteya’s interest and will to take an active part was sparked by her math instructor Zuweira Seidu, a beloved teacher among students, known both for her academic expertise and her role in the IFA initiative. Every Wednesday, Zuweira oversees the distribution of the pills among the girls who are genuinely engaged in the very real transformation taking place among them.
Multiple benefits
"I've seen a remarkable improvement in their overall health, especially when it comes to their periods," Zuweira shares with a smile. "In the past, many girls would miss school due to menstrual pain, but now they're able to attend classes regularly and concentrate better in class."
The iron and folic acid supplements benefit these girls in multiple ways. Not only do they prevent anemia and support healthy blood production. They also contribute to reducing menstrual blood loss and period pain.
In 2024, UNICEF delivered over 1.2 billion iron and folic acid tablets to improve the health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and women in 49 countries around the world. In Ghana, the IFA initiative reached 1.7 million girls in 2024 alone.
The initiative has contributed to fewer adolescent girls suffering from anemia from 48 per cent before the initiative was launched in 2017 (Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014) to 43.8 per cent in the latest national survey (Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2022). This means that while there has been progress, too many adolescent girls in Ghana still suffer from anemia and its dire consequences, and much work remains to be done to break the often-intergenerational cycle of anemia.
Overcoming scepticism and discrimination
The road to classrooms brimming with vivacious and enthusiastic girls at the Choggu Yapalisi junior high school wasn't always smooth. Zuweira faced initial scepticism from both students and teachers, some questioning why only girls received the tablets.
"It was a challenging time," Zuweira admits. “But through education and open dialogue, we could address their concerns and gain their support."
Tunteya's parents too had reservations at first, believing the tablets were a form of family planning. However, after learning about her friends' positive experiences, Tunteya's parents agreed to meet with Zuweira to discuss the initiative in detail. Now her father regularly checks in with his daughter to ensure she's taking the tablets, recognizing their positive impact on her health and studies.
For Tunteya and the other female students of Choggu Yapalisi, the Wednesday iron and folic acid distribution is about more than receiving what is arguably a miracle pill: It is a ritual when the girls unleash their agency and renew their commitment to shaping their own health, education and life for the better.
Based on a story originally published on UNICEF Ghana.
