The project is targeted at young women between the ages of 10 and 30 years
A Non-Governmental Organization, Gender Centre for Empowering Development(GenCED) in collaboration with The Resource Foundation have launched a project dubbed: “She leads Project,” aimed at promoting leadership among young girls at the local and national levels.
The project according to Miss Elorm Atakli, Programme Director of GenCED is a five-year initiative, targeted at young women between the ages of 10 and 30 years with support from Plan International.
According to her, the project is being implemented in the Waiwso Municipality and Juabeso District of the Western North Region.
She said as part of the project, a round table discussion was held, to deliberate on the roles of women especially girls in national development, challenges that hinder girls from climbing on the educational ladder and how best to support young girls at the local level.
The participants were drawn from the Ghana education services(GES), National Commission for Civic Education(NCCE), Traditional authorities and the District assemblies.
Ms Atakli said it was the vision of the organization to see a significant number of women involved in leadership positions at the end of the project.
Madam Agnes Asare, Western North Regional Girls Education Officer, appealed to authorities to give equal opportunities to the girl child at all levels since according to her, educating the girl child helped in economic growth and development.
She expressed worry about the fact that some communities still discriminated against the girl child education and called for a concerted effort to end all forms of discrimination against women.
She asked young girls to take their studies seriously.
Madam Asare also tasked society to motivate and encourage pregnant young girls and those nursing their babies to continue their education irrespective of their situation.
Mr Abraham Fletcher, Waiwso District Director of Education, entreated men to always give women the needed support in all spheres of life since that would help motivate them to achieve their goals.
The District Director asked women not to allow themselves to be intimidated but do more research in other areas to enhance themselves and society as a whole.
Nana Akua Bomo, Queen mother of Esaase asked parents to bring their girl child closer to them so that they would discuss and share ideas with them, win their confidence and give them good counselling.
The Queen mother suggested stiffer punishment for men that got young girls pregnant to serve as a deterrent to others.
Nana Akua Bomo asked chiefs that settled rape and defilement cases at their palaces to desist from the act since that would not help society.
She also asked young girls especially students to use social media profitably.
Some of the participants mostly students from the Waiwso Senior High School, lauded the project, which according to them would help young girls in the area to climb higher on the educational ladder.
They asked that the programme be extended to other Districts in the Region.