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Sue Kolljeski is a Mission Society missionary in northern Ghana. She serves in the Lawra Orphan and Vulnerable Child Centre, caring for children, teaching developmental skills, and sharing Christ with the orphans and families she encounters.

Here, Sue explains the cultural stigma associated with giving birth to triplets, and how the Lawra Orphan and Vulnerable Child Centre is making a difference.

I have known a few people who have given birth to triplets. When they learned that they were expecting three babies they were both excited and concerned. Would they be able to care for three babies properly? Would they be good parents? In the end, all was well. Family and friends were always around to lend a helping hand. The children were truly a blessing.

But what do you do when you give birth to triplets and they are looked upon as a curse? This is exactly what the Dagaaba people in northern Ghana believe. They believe triplets are from evil spirits and it is best for everyone if one or more of them are allowed to die.

One of the reasons mothers and their children come to live at the Lawra Orphan and Vulnerable Child Centre is because they have given birth to triplets. The children are not accepted in their own communities because the Traditional Religion leaders want the children dead. The leaders are afraid that the spirits of the children would take over the spirits of the parents, and then the parents would die. So in fear for their children’s life, the mothers flee the village, taking their children with them.

Once the children reach an age of at least two years old, they are more accepted by the village leaders. Sometimes it is safe to move back home. However, there is still a stigma related to triplets. The firstborn is not seen as the firstborn but as the “Herald,” as the one who announces the birth of twins. The actual second born is given the firstborn rights.  

Paul, Sarah, and Rose came to live at our Centre in 2009, shortly after birth, along with their older sister, Papula, and their mother. As infants, their mother was very concerned for the lives of her children. They were not welcome in their village. At the Centre, the children grew into healthy toddlers. During the time the family lived at the Centre, Christ was presented to them. Seeds were planted.

Several months after their second birthday, the family moved back to their village. Six weeks later, Paul died. His sisters became very ill and were taken to the hospital.

Please pray with me that the Dagaaba people will come to look upon every life as a miracle and a gift from God. Pray that triplets would be perceived as a blessing, and that the parents would choose to praise God for these children’s lives and would not fear them. Children are God’s special blessing!

Lawra Health Program provides much needed food, clothing and supplies to orphans and vulnerable children in the Upper West Region of Ghana, the poorest area of the country. School uniforms, supplies, and tuition are also provided to the children through this project. Lawra Health Program also helps provide needed medical care for children whose family cannot afford it.

To support the Lawra Health Program, please make a donation to project #0628.