Project to empower youth, teen mothers takes off

A project aimed at training  the youth in tailoring and fashion design to enable them to access a dignified work and life by 2030 has been launched. Dubbed: “Sua Adepam project” under the Young Africa Work Strategy, it would empower young people especially the youth, teen mothers, early school leavers and people living with disabilities to gain skills in tailoring and fashion designing. 

It also sought to equip young women and men with the skills and knowledge they needed to access and expand economic opportunities that were available to them.

The project, which is worth $100,000, includes the training cost, monthly stipend, provision of sewing tools such as sewing machines, tape measures, scissors, tailor chalk, office pins and many more throughout the eighteen months training period. 

The Sua Adepam project was launched in partnership with a non-profit organisation, Boost Foundation and Mastercard Foundation.

It will train and set up a total of 65 people within Kintampo, Kumasi and Accra for a period of one and half years.

The Executive Director of Boost Foundation, Dr Cynthia Addae, said the project would go a long way in supporting young people in the country. 

“This project is aligned with supporting young people to be involved in economically fit jobs and have the required experiences, tools and training needed for them to start their own fashion businesses while making incomes for themselves and their families,” she stated. 

The Project Monitoring and Evaluation Lead of Boost Foundation, Patricia Antwi Boasiako, said the trainees would be monitored as part of the responsibilities of the foundation to witness their progress.

She, therefore, encouraged the selected trainees to be committed and dedicated during their training period.

Mrs Boasiako advised them to also be submissive to their master artisans and give them the maximum respect for smooth delivery of work. 

“Let us all try and to be obedient, respectful and most importantly be punctual during the one and half years,” she said.

However, she urged the master artisans to safeguard and avoid abusing trainees in any way because it was against the foundation’s policy.

“Accept them as your own and do not abuse them in any form with the power vested in you,” she emphasised. 

The beneficiaries expressed sincere gratitude to the foundation for showing interest in such an initiative and helping those without finances to put themselves through fashion school and training. 

The Master Artisans also assured the foundations that they would fulfil their promise by helping these trainees bring out their best skills in the fashion industry.

Both Master Artisans and trainees pledged to be on their best behaviour during the training.