Otwetiri (E/R), Mar 29, GNA – Mrs Lauretta Aryeetey, President of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s Zonta Club, has advocated for increased education of girls in order to eliminate gender bias in the home and society.
“When you equip boys with technical, vocational and positive social skills and you leave a girl out, you create extreme dependence and misfit,” she said.
Mrs Aryeetey made the remarks during a visit to the Otwetiri Victory Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) in the Akuapim North Municipality, which was organized by the International Child Advocacy Programme (ICDP) in collaboration with the Zonta Club of Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
There were 22 members of the Victory VSLA in attendance, as well as the headmaster of the Otwetiri M/A Basic School, teachers, students, and representatives from the palace, media, and community members.
Locally made solid and liquid soaps made by members of the Victory VSLA were displayed at the programme to demonstrate their soap-making skills and to make sales.
Mrs Aryeetey praised the Victory VSLA women for their courage in standing up for their rights, even going so far as to write a letter to the municipal assembly requesting the provision of potable drinking water and a waste disposal site in the community.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly Zonta Club is a branch of Zonta International that seeks to improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health, and professional status of women through service and advocacy.
Mrs Joyce Larnyoh, ICDP’s Country Director, said in 2018, ICDP collaborated with World Education, a group of seven non-governmental organizations, to develop a Strategic Approach to Girls Education (STAGE).
She stated that the goal was to educate and train females who had dropped out of school due to early pregnancy, disability, or extreme poverty in literacy, numeracy, and life skills before introducing them to vocational skills such as soap making, hair dressing, sewing, cosmetology, and baking among others to equip them with skills for economic independence.
According to her, 27 females in Otwetiri benefited from the training through STAGE, and that after graduation, the members were not left alone but were reintroduced to VSLA.
She said VSLA is an initiative to ensure progressive economic improvement and to “train the group in leadership, governance, advocacy, and group dynamics to empower them to lobby and advocate to address issues that affect them in the community.
Mrs Emelia Akaglo, a member of Victory VSLA, praised ICDP for their tremendous support for the women of Otwetiri and for grooming them to be outspoken advocates.
She identified three major challenges in the community as lack of potable water supply, lack of waste management sites, and poor road network, upon which a letter was written to the municipal assembly requesting assistance.
While they await the assembly’s response, she appealed for assistance in the construction of a potable water system for the community.