Coalition organises Girls’ Camp in Kumasi
The Ghana NGOs Coalition on the Rights of the Child (GNCRC) on Girl Power Project, has organised a six-day Girl’s Camp for selected girls clubs from three districts in the Ashanti Region, in Kumasi.
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The programme, attended by 100 participants selected from the Bosomtwi and Kwabre districts and the Kumasi metropolis, was aimed at promoting girl-child education and addressing challenges to the growth and development of the girl-child.
The programme was started in 2011, with funds from The Netherlands Embassy, on the theme: “Promoting Equal Rights and Opportunities for Girls and Young Women”.
In an address read on his behalf by Ms Pat Owusu Achiaw, the acting Coordinator of the Ghana NGO’s Coalition on the Rights of the Child (GNCRC), Barimah Akwasi Amankwah, said gender-based violence persisted in most communities, particularly in areas where poverty levels were high, and where women had little say in decision-making.
He mentioned forced marriage, domestic servitude and loss of educational opportunities for the girl-child when families experience economic difficulties, as some of the conditions that led to gender-based violence, stressing that the camp was, therefore, aimed at educating girls on reproductive and other health issues, leadership skills, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS and the negative effects of teenage pregnancy.
He said about 1,200 girls had been given scholarship in the country to enable them to complete their post primary education, while over 1,000 children had also received logistical support to undergo apprenticeship training.
Mr Amankwah indicated that the programme was also designed to engage boys and young men on different platforms to enlighten them on the essence of girls empowerment in the communities.
In his contribution, Mr Haruna Yoda, the Programme Officer of Environmental Protection Association of Ghana (EPAG), said EPAG had been collaborating with various agencies in the district to enhance the effective implementation of the programme.
The Director of ACE Consult, Mrs Marilyn Owusu, stressed the need for girls to focus on their education to avoid teenage pregnancy and also urged them to adopt humble lifestyle and respect their teachers.
