NGO assists women to develop their potential
The All Nations International Development Agency (ANIDA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has established a Women Development Centre to assist women to develop their potential.
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According to the Executive Director of the organisation, Rev. Mrs Rose Donkor, the organisation had grouped the women according to their ages at different levels as pre-beginners, beginners and dropouts, who are continuously being supported to achieve their goals.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Koforidua in the Eastern Region, Rev. Mrs Donkor said the NGO took the initiative after realising the need to help address the challenges facing women for them to achieve their dreams.
She said every woman had the ability to excel but the socio-cultural challenges facing women in Africa made it even more necessary to put all hands on deck to erase negative tendencies that had the potential to derail the hopes and aspirations of women.
“The time has come for women to be supported and not to be relegated to the background in taking decisions involving them”, she added.
Challenges facing women
She said despite the initial challenges facing the women, the centre continued to encourage them and “with time, they can read and write and even sit the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and proceed to tertiary institutions, particularly the younger ones amongst them”.
She said the market women were also taught basic skills such as bookkeeping, record-keeping, computing, hygiene, among others by resource persons from various fields.
“All we want is the development of a total woman with high self-esteem,bubbling with confidence so as to enable her meet the challenges of modern times”, Rev. Mrs Donkor said.
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She said the centre, which had 17 teachers had so far trained over 1,500 women who spent between one to three years, adding that “by the time they complete their training, they will be transformed to serve society; all we need is for them to focus on their training.”
“We concentrate on women at the centre but we also consider some few men, who are admitted to undertake courses in computer skills and English”, she told the Daily Graphic.
Caring for orphans
Touching on another project known as “Silent Cry”, Rev. Mrs Donkor said the NGO took care of newborn babies and children up to 12 years, particularly orphans, who were fed and given medical care.
“We don’t have an orphanage; what we do is to supply them with their needs over a period of time at their various homes and monitor the progress of the children in school through our coordinators. I must add that as long as the child is studying and wants to go as far as he or she can, we will continue to offer them scholarships while those who fail to make the grade will be given skills training”, she said.
She said in all, 290 children were benefiting from the project pointing out that “we believe in practical Christianity that does not concentrate only on preaching but takes care of the needy in society.”