Nimbus Foundation to champion women’s rights
Nimbus Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that seeks to champion the right of women and children through research, advocacy and capacity building, has been launched in Accra.
The organisation aims to raise awareness about the importance of child protection, enhancing capacities at various levels of society, educating people on traditional attitudes that lead to abuse, and advocating tougher punishment for offenders against child abuse.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Ms Joyce Opoku-Boateng, said women’s empowerment was critical to development, since empowering women to appreciate their potential and assert themselves enhances their capabilities to serve as agents of change.
The event was used to launch the foundation’s website and its monthly newsletter.
The website, www.nimbusfoundation.org, and its newsletter known as Nimbus News would be used as a platform for highlighting success stories of women’s empowerment, the challenges and constraints in the fight for gender equality and acts of violation of the rights of women and children.
Ms Opoku-Boateng, commended the media for their reportage on acts of violations against women and children as in human trafficking, domestic violence, child labour, child prostitution and pornography.
“We hope that this effort will be given more impetus through collaboration with all stakeholders including international development agencies, governmental and non-governmental organisations, religious and traditional authorities,” she stressed.
She paid tribute to Mrs Gladys Asmah, a former Minister in the Kufour administration, for giving the now Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection a solid foundation, and described her as an icon of women's empowerment and an inspiration to women.
The Executive Director of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), Mrs Bernice Sam, stressed the need for the state to assist NGOs engaged in viable socio-economic and political activities.
By Jennifer Ansah/Daily Graphic/Ghana