Female porters participate in fitness games

A number of female porters, popularly referred to as ‘kayayei’, at the weekend dropped their head pans to participate in fitness games organised by the Kunata voluntary organisation.

The ‘kayayei’, who are members of the Kunata Voluntary programme were drawn from mainly the Nima, Maamobi and Mallam Atta markets, to participate in the recreational activity at the La Beach in Accra.They were taken through aerobics, and self-defence tactics, among other physical exercises. 

The recreational activity was made possible by the SC Konstanz Wollmatingen, a Germany-based female football team which donated sports kits to Kunata for its Kayayei Project.

Officials of Kunata also used the games to educate the young girls on how to prevent all forms of abuse, the dangers of unprotected sex and teenage pregnancy, which have been their challenges over the years.

According to the organisation, it undertook the recreational activity to enable the vulnerable girls to learn about critical issues that would be of great benefit to them.

The fitness instructor of the programme, Mr Fred Brown Lobos, said he was very impressed with the fitness level of the girls.

Mr Lobos, who is a former Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder, said “soon we shall have a kayayei team’’, which will be useful in campaigning for their future and welfare, and appealed to the government and  the general pubic to extend their support to the girls and their children to enable them to lead decent lives.