Gender Centre implements projects in Western Region
The Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED), an Accra-based civil society organisation, is implementing a two-year project in three districts in the Western Region to provide training for women on the Gender Monitoring and Tracking Tool.
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The Gender Monitoring and Tracking Tool uses participatory approach to build the capacities of participants to understand and to clearly define the concept of decentralisation.
GenCED, which focuses on empowering women, especially those in geographically deprived communities, is undertaking the project with support from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
The UNDEF supports projects that strengthen the voice of civil society, promote the rule of law and human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.
Beneficiary districts
In line with the implementation of the project in the Juaboso District, Bia West District and Sefwi Wiawso Municipality, GenCED organised a three-day district level capacity building workshop for 150 women advocacy groups in the three districts.
The Executive Director of GenCED, Ms Esther Tawiah, said the training programme was designed essentially to build capacities of the participants to understand the concept of gender monitoring and tracking tool which was important for social accountability.
Ms Tawiah said the workshop would help the participants to become familiar with and be in a position to apply the gender monitoring and tracking tool in local government financial management system.
Reaction from participants
The District Co-ordinating Directors and Budget Officers in the project districts expressed their gratitude for the training and indicated that it would help them in their annual budget preparation and public hearing sessions.
They also indicated that the training given to the women would help strengthen them to help the assemblies to monitor and track all projects that they undertake in their various communities to enhance better service delivery.
During the working session, the facilitator, Mr Amos Baffour, used a participatory approach to interact with the participants by initiating group work for the women. That, he described as a technique which would help them to identify issues critically and also analyse and resolve them.