ANEG Foundation, a non-governmental organisation at Akuse in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region, has celebrated its 10th anniversary with a call on girls to take mentorship programmes and leadership trainings seriously to create their own opportunities.
The celebration was to climax the sixth edition of ANEG Go Girls Summit.
The programme was on the theme: “Empowering future leaders for our collective good-Accelerate action” and was supported by Fairtrade Ghana, Golden Exotics Limited, Volta River Authority Ladies, Police Ladies, Health workers and Ghana Philanthropy Forum, among others.
The ANEG Foundation was established in 2015 by Ama Nellie Efowota Gonyoe to create opportunities for girls in rural communities.
Currently, it operates in Shai-Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region, Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities, Asuogyaman District, all in the Eastern Region and Central Tongu in the Volta Region.
A total of 400 pupils and students from sixteen basic schools and seven senior high schools in the foundation’s operational areas took part in this year’s summit.
Before the summit, the girls carried placards, some of which read, ‘Empowered girls lead with purpose’, ‘Girls with dream become women with vision’, ‘Every girl deserves a chance to learn’,
‘When girls rise, communities shine’ and ‘Mentor a girl, change a generation’, among others.
Mentorship
The Supervisor of ANEG Foundation, Alberta Seyram Ananga-Ayitey, said hundreds of girls had benefited from the foundation’s mentorship programmes, leadership training and educational support.
She said, looking into the future, the foundation would continue to expand its reach to provide scholarships for brilliant, needy girls to strengthen the foundation’s mentorship programmes and to create platforms that would amplify the voices of young women across Ghana and beyond.
Transform lives
The Quality and Certifications Manager of Fairtrade Premium/Golden Exotics, Ivan Van Dessel, the main sponsor of the ANEG Foundation, who was the guest speaker, said the foundation had transformed lives, through which women had gained new skills, with young girls staying in school and families improving livelihoods.
The Paramount Queenmother for Osudoku, Nana Dokua Amponsah III, who was represented by the Queenmother for Kadjanya, Nana Nyaanya Amatey, said the 10-year programme of the foundation had been a beacon of hope and empowerment transformation for countless girls in the operational areas, which also provided education and confidence for the young girls.
The President of Ghana Philanthropy Forum, Dr Ben Ocra, who was a guest of honour, pledged to support ANEG Foundation with 10 scholarships for next year to encourage the management of ANEG Foundation to do more in the interest of the young girls.
A beneficiary and a pioneer student of the Foundation, Gertrude Dede Degbe, a student of the University of Cape Coast, assured management that the effort would not be in vain, as some of the old students were performing well all over the country.
The Executive Director of ANEG Foundation, Ruby Favour Harrison, who chaired the function, said the country needed the next generation of bold, resilient and poised playmakers who would rise up to the task and challenge the mismatched solutions and create a brighter future for making a difference and impact.
