The Rotary Clubs of Tarkwa, Takoradi-Anaji and Sekondi-Takoradi have organised a skills training for girls at the Takoradi Technical Institute (TTI).
The skills training sought to empower the girls to find new career opportunities, be self-employed and improve their quality of life as well as serve as a means of survival after completing their course.
They were trained in soap-, shower-gel and bleach-making, among others. Angelina Aba Yalley, Takoradi-Anaji president of the Rotary Club, explained to the B&FT that: “This is a project under Rotary dubbed ‘Girl-child empowerment and menstrual hygiene’, but we decided to move a step further by not only giving them the talks but also equipping them for life; because if you want to empower a woman, you have to make sure that the financial aspects of her life is also empowered”.
She explained that TTI was selected because it is a technical and vocational institute. In addition to this, she said, government is showing renewed interest in promoting technical, vocational, education and training (TVET) programmes.
“We decided to come here to add-on to what they are already being taught at school so they are able to improve on it,” she said.
She pointed out that plans have been made to ensure assistance for beneficiaries even after their training.
“The girls have been awarded with certificates, and this is to guide them whenever they are ready to work. Also, these products will be given to the Effia-Kwesimitsim Health Directorate for them to distribute to clinics and CHIPs compounds within the municipality,” Ms. Yalley added.
Godwin Narh-Korli Agualey, facilitator for the training and Chief Executive Officer of SkinCET Consultants, encouraged the girls to take the skills they have acquired seriously and build upon them to create jobs and be able to employ people.
“After your course at TTI and when you would like to start your own business, you can walk into the Ghana Enterprise Agency and they can support you as a small- or medium-enterprise,” he said.
