SIXTY GIRLS ATTEND CAMPS ON EMPOWERMENT

PARTICIPANTS DISPLAYING THEIR CERTIFICATES

MORE than 90 per cent of children in the country attend school but in the deprived communities, most of them, especially the young girls, do not complete their schooling.

They are either not allowed to continue or prevented from pursuing higher education due to the perception that the kitchen is the final place for women.

In some communities, girls are married off as early as age 16 or sent out to trade in order to fend for themselves and their families, rendering them incapable of pursuing higher education.

It is with this background that Actionaid Ghana, as part of its Greater Accra Regional Development Programme and in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service organised the 11th annual Regional Girls Camp in Accra.

The camp was organised on the theme; “Empowering Girls Through Education: Assuring Future”.

It brought together 60 young girls from 23 deprived communities within the Ga East, Ga West and Ga South districts who were trained and mentored on how to achieve greatness through education.

THE GIRLS LISTERNING TO WORD OF ADVICE FROM THEIR MENTORS

The girls were also given training in batik, tie-die, liquid soap-making, popcorn preparation, table etiquette and personal hygiene, how to boost their self-confidence, take control of their sexual lives, and the need to achieve greater heights in the society.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the acting Programme Manager of Actionaid Ghana, Mrs Sandra Ameyaw Amankwaa, called on Ghanaians to change the perception of placing women in the kitchen and rather give them the chance to contribute their quota to the society.

“Just like Dr James Kwegyir Aggrey said, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate the whole nation,” she said.

She added that it was important for parents to invest in the education of their female children in order to ensure gender equity in the home.

Mrs Amankwaa urged the girls to share their camp experiences with their colleagues and put all that they had learnt into practice.

She thanked the organisation for its support over the years and called on individuals and organisations to provide funds to support the project in order to be able to increase the number of participants every year.

TAKING DIGNITRIES THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING SOAP

The Deputy Country Director and Head of Programmes of Actionaid Ghana, Mr Sannie Yakubu, explained that similar camps were ongoing in the districts that the organisation was represented. He added that the organisation had the core mandate of ensuring that girls studied in a free environment, adding that the factors that hindered the quality education of young girls could be identified.

He revealed that since the inception of the camp 11 years ago, more than 2,000 young girls had been trained and mentored on how to make good use of their education, adding that the right to education was not negotiable since it is a right.

He urged the participants to share the knowledge and experiences they had gained at the camp with their communities and others and promote innovative and cost-effective programmes there.

Mr Yakubu also called on Ghanaians to appreciate the value of the girl-child and provide support for their education.

Speaking on behalf of the Headmistress of the Accra Girls Secondary School, the Senior House Mistress of the school, Mrs Rejoice Akordor, thanked the participants for exhibiting good behaviour during their stay in the camp.

She also lauded Actionaid Ghana, for putting together the initiative of providing young girls an opportunity to learn beyond the classroom and be equipped with resources to achieve higher in society.

 Participants at the closing ceremony thrilled the audience with music, poems, and an exhibition of their artwork. They were also presented with certificates for participation in the camp meeting.