The Thekla Incorporated organization, a non-profit making institution with focus on women empowerment based in the northern region has counseled school going teenagers in Tamale on career and skills development to become future leaders at a training programme.
The capacity-building workshop came in the wake of increasing rape cases reported in some districts in the northern region and other social vices against young girls.
This development is contrary to the United Nations sustainable development goals five, which Ghana as a member signed to promote Gender Equality and empowerment of all women and the girl child.
In view of this, the Founder of Thekla, Madam Linda Coffie in an exclusive interview with THE CUSTODIAN believes young girl must be empowered to take up leadership positions to address some of these phenomena.
She posited that a woman at the decision making level is more proactive in dealing with issues that affect other women than the manner in which the man would address same.
She emphasized that, “Men are also good leaders but when a man is solving a woman’s problem he doesn’t feel it like the way a woman feels it and so when a woman rises up to solve a problem for another woman, she understands her pain and what she goes through in the society”.
“So it is great for a woman to stand out for her fellow woman and that is why we started this mentorship programme on leadership to encourage the young girls to take up leadership positions as they are growing up to also help resolve these societal issues that undermine women” she explained further.
The Thekla Executive Director said the safety of women is greatly affected as a result of these lawless and uncultured behaviours against them, adding they are always victimized instead of living freely in their communities.
Madam Linda hinted there would be periodic training workshops for these young girls to nurture them throughout their educational career.
As part of the programme, she indicated that the organization will also be evaluating the academic performance of these young girls in order to guide them in their education.
“We also thought them during the discussion how they could stand out among their colleagues in the academic performance in school and we also have contacts to their parents; so from time to time we will be calling the parents to look out for any changes or difference they see in the children’s life after this programme commenced and with that we would be able to establish whether they put in practice what we have been teaching them” she stated.
The group also distributed motivational leaning materials to the mentees and the mentors who coached the young girls.
Ghana doing its best
The Thekla founder urged the general public to support in the fight against all forms of violence against women.
She posited the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) alone cannot combat the menace.
Madam Linda implored all stakeholders to devise a concerted mechanism to drastically reduce or eliminate this societal threat to women.
