UNICEF, KOICA tackle obstacles affecting girls
Discrimination against girls and women in the developing world is a devastating reality. It results in millions of individual tragedies, which add up to lost potential for entire countries. Studies show there is a direct link between a country's attitude towards women and its progress socially and economically.
A combination of extreme poverty and deep biases against women creates a remorseless cycle of discrimination that keeps girls in developing countries, including Ghana, from living up to their full potential. It also leaves them vulnerable to severe physical and emotional abuse.
Research shows that poverty disproportionately affects adolescent girls in many parts of Ghana, exposing them to distinct challenges. These include greater risk of sexual violence, higher chance of being married before they are 18 and less likelihood to complete their schooling. Adolescence is also a time when gender roles for girls become more entrenched and gender discrimination can have a detrimental impact on girls, which can often determine the trajectory of a girl’s life.
Enjoying better life
Keen on giving adolescent girls an opportunity to enjoy better quality of life, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Korean International Development Agency (KOICA) have signed a partnership agreement to improve conditions for adolescent girls in Ghana.
The two bodies decided to initiate “A Better Life for Girls in Ghana” project which seeks to address existing issues of gender stereotypes and social norms that disproportionally impact the development of girls from age 12 to 19.
The three-year agreement spanning 2017 to 2020 involves a 5.2 million dollar fund being provided by KOICA, while UNICEF would develop and implement the strategy within selected districts.
At a signing ceremony in Accra, the Korean Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Ambassador Sungsoo Kim, said: “Through this collaboration, our broad main goal is to reduce the current worrying trend of child marriage in Ghana. We jointly expect to improve the life of our adolescent girls by keeping them in school, as well as broadening their horizon on entrepreneurial opportunities and financial literacy.”
For her part, the UNICEF Ghana Representative, Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi, said: "UNICEF is delighted to be partnering with KOICA on this very important programme – not just the adolescent girls at which this programme is aimed but for a more inclusive development of Ghana where adolescent boys and girls will be at the heart of development.”
Future potential
“Girls aged between 12 and 19 are in a very precious and critical phase of their development which can profoundly influence a girl’s future potential. During this key time of transition from girlhood to womanhood, we want to ensure that girls in Ghana are given a fair chance to thrive in a safe and welcoming environment and are given a chance to realise their full potential,” Ms Ngongi stated.
The KOICA Country Director, Mr Woochan Chang, said: “I wish to assure you that both UNICEF and KOICA will continue to actively participate and collaborate with the Government of Ghana, and especially for this project. The hope is that this project will contribute to the successful implementation of the “National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana”, which will be launched next week by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.”
The partners expressed the hope that the three-year engagement between KOICA and UNICEF in Ghana would provide a more enabling and empowering environment for adolescent girls in Ghana to access their opportunities, and provide a fairer society for girls across Ghana.