Young Urban Project touches lives of women
The Young Urban Women Life Choices and Livelihood Project (YUWP), aimed at empowering young urban women, is making an impact on the lives of beneficiaries in the Tamale metropolis.
Advertisement
Since 2013, the project being implemented by the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), with funding from the Norwegian Development Agency, and support from ActionAid Ghana, is empowering young women aged between 15 and 25 to acquire vocational skills.
The initiative
The initiative has helped shape and turn around the lives of about 1000 young women, some of whom have been enlightened on their rights and responsibilities to build their confidence to make life choices, and also sponsored the eduction and other skills training for a number of them.
They have been transformed to lead responsible lives to help break the poverty chain in their families and communities.
One of such beneficiaries of the project is a 17-year-old junior high school Form Two student (name withheld) who was liberated from a forced marriage under the project.
Through the knowledge gained from the project, and with support from officers of the project and members of the community, she freed herself from being forced to marry a rich butcher as a third wife.
“My parents informed me in July 2014 that my bride price had been paid for by a rich butcher resident in Accra with two wives and five children. My mother even started grooming me towards that by locking me and the man in a room as a measure to initiate sexual intercourse between us,” she stated.
“I fought seriously and my cries caught the attention of our neighbours who came to my rescue. This provoked the man and in October 2014, he abandoned me and married an elderly woman,” she said.
Education
Through the YUWP, she received some education on the need to make the right decisions for herself, to choose a sexual partner and the responsibilities involved. The series of trainings given her by NORSAAC enlightened her and she received words of encouragement from the leadership of the Ghana Female Teachers during a working visit which helped her to sail through that challenge.
“Even though my family members, especially my parents, were disappointed, I am learning hard to get good grades and fulfil my dreams of becoming a nurse,” she added.
Living a dream
Twenty-year-old Ms Katura Dramani is also living her dream as a top-notch fashion designer in Tamale. After joining the YUWP training in February, 2014, she proved her worth as a hardworking person and focused on her training, built her confidence and got the opportunity to be trained in fashion designing by the Joyce Ababio Fashion Institute in Accra. The training, which she said was an eye-opener for her and other 13 young ladies, was fully sponsored by Vlisco Group Designs, producers and distributors of fashion fabrics.
“At first I used to cut through materials just like that without considering the pattern, but now the training has taught me to do things differently. My major clients are now nurses, bankers and other corporate women and I am so overwhelmed with the work I get during festive seasons,” she said.
Ms Dramani, who is the breadwinner for her family, was adjudged the best designer after the intensive training.
“I know I can do more and could have probably lost that hope if the Young Urban Women Project had not touched my life. I will continue to fly,” she said.
Significant impact
The project has also made significant impact on the activities of the Ghana Progressive Hairdressers and Beauticians Association (GHPABA). Madam Abubakari Hawa, Vice-President of GHPABA, said the constitution of the association had been reviewed to include a new article (article 17) on rights of apprentice to conform to standards for decent work.
Madam Abubakari said the decision to review the constitution followed the earlier training organised by NORSAAC/ActionAid in September last year when it was realised that there was the need to adhere to standards of working conditions and fulfilment of women's rights/decency at the workplace.
According to the Coordinator of the project, Ms Abubakari Kawusada, activities being undertaken on the project had touched the lives of many young people and had also impacted positively on the capacity gap in the informal sector by equipping associations, managers and owners of businesses and skills centres in the non-formal sector with the requisite skills to create an enabling environment for people to earn a decent livelihood.
Initial target
She explained that the initial target of reaching out to and empowering 1000 young urban women between 15 and 25 in Tamale had been exceeded,and helping to break the chain of poverty in their families and communities through more economic independence and control over their bodies, and for their voices to be heard and recognised at international fora.
Ms Kawusada said a number of the youth in Tuutingli, Dabokpa, Kakpagyili, Nalung, Beilpela, Kalariga, Vittin, Banvum and Kpanvo, all suburbs of the Tamale metropolis, where the project was being implemented, had seen drastic changes in their lives.