Defence for Children International (DCI-GHANA), an NGO, has organised a refresher training for selected Girls and Young Women (GYW) groups from the Ashanti region at the SSNIT Conference Room in Kumasi.
The training focused on Time Diary and Community Scorecards, which are the right tools to generate and collect data for any evidence-based advocacy to promote GYW rights and meaningful inclusion in leadership and decision-making processes.
Ms. Faustina Osei Prempeh, the Programmes Manager at DCI-Ghana, observed that the project (She Leads) programme promotes girls leadership and seeks to discourage acts and practices by men, which prevent girls from asserting their rights.
Ms. Prempeh said: ‘She Leads’ champions the course and development of women, especially young girls, and is working to protect children during political party campaigns, rallies and registering children for voters ID cards towards elections, and protects the young girls against any form of abuse by men.
The Programmes Manager also admonished the ‘Social Movement’ which is a young women and other social groups and the ‘Champions of Change’ comprising chiefs, assemblymen, opinion and religious leaders who are all allies under the ‘She Leads’ project to aim at working to change “discriminatory gender norms and gender stereotypes”, which inhibit women’s progress.
The Erudite Women’s Empowerment Foundation (EWEF), Rights and Responsibilities Initiatives Ghana (RRIG) and the DCI-GHANA, all NGOs, shared learnings from the ‘She Leads’ project activities and as well shared impact stories and testimonies from Girls and Young Women Advocates and Social Movement members on the project.
Ms. Emmanuella Opoku Acheampong, Project Manager at EWEF and Madam Aba Oppong, the Executive Director of RRIG, did PowerPoint presentations on ‘Community Scorecards/Time Diary data collection and ‘Guidelines For Prevention of Pregnancy among School Girls And Facilitation Of Re-Entry Into School After Childbirth’ respectively.
Nana Owusuaa Akyaa, Asante Akim Juansa Akwamuhemaa, who chaired the programme, remarked that men should desist from crowding out women and young girls anytime they attempt to rub shoulders with their male counterparts, stressing that such practices only inhibit women’s progress and also advised women to shun practices and behaviors that “make women themselves their own enemy”.
From Thomas Agbenyegah Adzey, Kumasi
