Nadowli: Some women and girls in 13 communities in the Nadowli-Kaleo District who received livelihood empowerment training have expressed hope about having improved standards of living through the training. Over 350 women and girls from Nanga, Nadowli, and Duong communities, among others, were trained in income-generating activities, including soap and pastry making and food preparation.
According to Ghana News Agency, the initiative formed part of the Girls and Women Economic Empowerment, Livelihood and Participation in Leadership (GWEEL) project implementation by the Africa Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development (AfCHuRSD-Ghana). During the training at Nanga, some teenage mothers indicated that the training would have a significant impact on their lives and serve as a source of livelihood for them.
Ms. Diana (not her real name), a teenage mother, stated that the skills acquired would help her support herself and her family financially. Pognaaa Domitila Boator, the Queen Mother of Nanga, highlighted the challenges faced by women in the community, particularly financial constraints due to limited economic activities. She expressed confidence that if they had the start-up capital to begin businesses in pastries, soap, and food, it would transform their economic situation.
At the Duong community, Madam Eunice Doozie shared her plans to make and sell soap, reducing her family’s expenses. Similarly, Madam Martina Ansongmwini expressed her intention to borrow money from her Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) to invest in soap-making due to its economic potential.
Training participants expressed gratitude to AfCHuRSD-Ghana for the intervention and appealed for financial support to start their businesses, ensuring the skills gained would not go to waste. Addressing the women at the training in Nanga, Madam Bernice Naah, Executive Director of AfCHuRSD-Ghana, encouraged the women to leverage the training to improve their livelihoods.
She emphasized her organization’s commitment to economic empowerment for women and girls and expressed optimism that the skills training would have a meaningful impact. She noted that economic independence could reduce domestic violence by enabling women to meet their needs and support their families.
Madam Naah also urged teenage mothers to seize opportunities like the skills training to enhance their lives. Funded by the Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) Netherlands, the GWEEL project is being implemented in 20 communities across the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, Wa West, Jirapa, and Nadowli-Kaleo Districts.