The Rebecca Foundation, an organisation founded by former First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has trained 27 women and youth groups from the Accra Diocese of the Anglican Church in soap making, to enable them to earn a living from it.
They were drawn from the Mothers Union, the Women’s Fellowship and the Anglican Young People Association (AYPA) of the St Peter’s Anglican Church at Nungua, and the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Accra, among others.
At a graduation ceremony held last Friday, Mrs Akufo-Addo said the training programme, the first in a series to be rolled out, was also her first formal event since she left office as first lady.
Skills development
She said she was offering the skills development programme in her capacity as a woman and a mother, to empower other women with sustainable livelihoods.
The skills the women acquired, she noted, would stay with them for life, and she encouraged them to train their peers so they too could gain these skills and earn a living from them.
Mrs Akufo-Addo said the training would be held in other churches for more women to benefit from the opportunity.
The CEO of EFYKLO Ventures, Afua Agyemang, who served as the trainer and resource person, mentioned that the trainees were trained in how to make liquid hand-washing soap, tablet and laundry soap, bleach and afterwash or cloth softeners and others.
She thanked Mrs Akufo-Addo for the partnership, noting that it dated back to before she became First Lady some eight years ago, and said she would always cherish the opportunity to collaborate with the foundation in training more Ghanaian women.
A representative of the trainees, Leanier A. O. Addy, together with Nancy Armah Danso, expressed gratitude to Mrs Akufo-Addo and her foundation for thinking of them and providing the necessary funding, including transportation, for the programme.
Service to society
The Very Rev. Samuel Lanquaye Lamptey, Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity, commended the Rebecca Foundation and Mrs Akufo-Addo for continuing her duty call of responding to the needs of women and children in Ghana.
He urged her to continue to be serviceable to society, whether in or out of office.
He also advised the trainees to use the skills acquired to make a living and to transfer the knowledge and skills to their children and other community members for ripple effects.
The Coordinator of the training, Rebecca Foundation, Sheila Sakyi Oppong, said the training was to cushion women, especially mothers, into gainful employment and livelihoods so they could earn a living and take care of their children.
The trainees were presented with certificates of participation and start-up kits to help them establish themselves.
