GHANA
DEVELOPING
COMMUNITIES
ASSOCIATION

High incidence of poverty in the Northern Region of Ghana has compelled many young girls to migrate to major cities in the southern part of Ghana to wander on bustling streets, transport terminals and markets to carry loads on their heads in order to fend for themselves under unfavorable living conditions. Most of these young girls have either not been to school before or dropped out. They lack employable skills that can get them decent jobs in the cities. 

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These girls fall victims to social vices like rape, robbery and prostitution each passing day. Due to their low-income status, they can hardly afford decent accommodation. A situation that compels as many as 10 girls to sleep in small cubicles, giving rise to outbreak of communicable diseases. Others go for the option of sleeping in front of kiosks and on verandas of shops in the night damning the consequences. Their plight worsens day by day. Some survive though and continue to live in penury. But others lose their lives without even their families in their hometowns knowing of it. Most of these young girls are stranded and are willing to return home if they are assured of skills development opportunities that would guarantee them sustainable sources of livelihood in their hometowns. 

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GDCA provides integrated vocational and life skills training to vulnerable girls. The training include dressmaking, hairdressing, soap making, bead making and fabric weaving, packaging, marketing, customer relations, basic literacy and financial management. They also learn good practices like personal and menstrual hygiene, good nutrition using local food ingredients, family planning and home management. The girls are empowered to earn sustainable income and take good care of themselves.

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The project will provide livelihood support to 30 vulnerable young girls who will be empowered to break the poverty cycle in their families, have a healthy lifestyle. They will also become role models in their respective communities to offer similar support to other vulnerable girls by transferring the skills acquired to them. This will prevent other vulnerable girls from migrating to Accra and Kumasi to work as head porters.

 

 

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