Ministry supports 751 women accused of witchcraft with cash grants under LEAP
The ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has supported 751 women accused of witchcraft with cash transfer under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
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The women are from Gambaga, Kukuo, Nabuli, Kpatinga, Leli-Dabri and Ngnani-Yendi, all in the Northern Region.
The sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, made this known in Accra when she addressed the media on some achievements of the ministry over the last four years.
The ministry, she said, also collaborated with a team of doctors at the Mercy Clinic in the Central Region to undertake fistula repairs for 150 patients from the Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Volta and Central regions.
Another 80 women and girls were being prepared to undergo fistula surgery soon.
Nana Oye also said the ministry had organised advocacy and sensitisation durbars on fistula and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for 600 women in the Volta, Upper West and Northern regions.
Economic empowerment
In the area of Economic Empowerment, the ministry, Nana Oye said, in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment Agency (YEA), introduced a six-month Livelihood and Pre-employment Skills Training models for identifiable kayayei in Accra.
Presently, the minister said, 400 kayayei and 20 persons with disabilities (PWDs) have been enrolled in two training centres at the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) and the Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS).
The ministry, she said, had also sponsored 34 brilliant and needy girls from the 10 regions to undertake courses in accounting, electrical engineering and related technical and science courses at the tertiary level.
The ministry, with support from the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), had also trained 243 desk officers on strategies to mainstream gender into planning and monitoring programmes and activities at the regional and district levels.
Institutional strengthening
The ministry, she said, had also signed a partnership agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the strengthening and professionalisation of the social welfare workforce in the country.
Also, she said, following the restructuring of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), the name of the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) had been changed to Department of Social Development (DSD).
With support from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Nana Oye said the ministry was constructing an 18-classroom block, administration and library block and an ICT centre for the School of Social Work.
She said an institutional authorisation certificate from the National Accreditation Board had been acquired for the School of Social Work to be affiliated with the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale.
Research
In addition, she said, a research report on Domestic Violence (DV) which made critical findings and recommendations to guide the way forward in the effective implementation of the DV Act had been launched.
On adolescent and reproductive health, she said the ministry had organised sensitisation workshops on teenage pregnancy for kayayei and adolescent reproductive health in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Western and Greater Accra regions for 1,200 participants.
Also, she said, a 10-year strategic plan on adolescent pregnancy was being developed to guide adolescent health in the country, with a campaign launched to end child marriage in the country.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Nana Oye said to ensure that the ministry’s programme achieved the intended results, stringent measures for monitoring and evaluation had been put in place.
To this effect, she said, an institutional arrangement to coordinate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social protection programmes had been established.
The ministry, she said, was going to organise advocacy and sensitisation programmes on the Affirmative Action Bill in two districts per region, as well as nationwide training and sensitisation on the Domestic Workers Regulation, the National Gender Policy, which, she said, were all at various stages of consideration.
