Plan International Launches Mentorship and Role-Modelling Programme for 50 Girls
Plan International Ghana, an international non-governmental organization, has launched a mentorship and role-modelling programme for 50 adolescent girls in the Upper Manya Krobo District and Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The participants were selected from 10 school communities within the region.
The initiative aims to empower the girls with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to make informed decisions about their future and inspire them to achieve their full potential.
The project, “Be Smart, Learn, and Stay Protected,” serves as a beacon of hope and progress within the participating communities.
Participants were trained in gender and career education, communication skills, leadership, time management, psychological skills, and personal development planning.
In his welcome address, Akuapem North Municipal Education Director, Mr. Lawrence Dzah, commended Plan International for conceptualizing the project.
He noted that the programme is a unique model among NGOs in the municipality and would significantly address social challenges in the communities.
Mr. Dzah emphasized the programme’s positive impact on students from the selected schools, praising its focus on gender and career education.
He highlighted how the workshop enabled students to explore educational opportunities and stressed the importance of fostering gender equality at all levels.
He also advised chaperones and girl-child coordinators to guide the learners, given their vulnerability.
In a keynote address, Project Coordinator Mr. Mahmoud E.K. Nantomah reaffirmed Plan International’s commitment to creating a just world that advances children’s rights and promotes equality for girls.
He highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated issues like gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy, often driven by harmful traditional practices and limited access to education.
In response to these challenges, Mr. Nantomah explained that the project serves as a support system and catalyst for positive change in the communities.
Mentorship, he noted, is a key strategy in ensuring sustainable change, aiming to empower the girls and expose them to various career and educational opportunities.
As part of the programme, the girls visited Koforidua Technical University, where female faculty members introduced them to various career disciplines and encouraged them to pursue higher education.
They also visited the Koforidua bead market, where they learned about traditional bead-making.
These visits were designed to inspire and guide participants in pursuing higher life ambitions and professional goals.
Source: Kwabena Cofie
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