By Bernice Agyekwena | Communications Manager
Three hundred teenagers drawn from five communities in three districts of the Ashanti Region participated in a high level conference in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana in October last year to mark the International Day of the Girl Child which was held under the theme, ‘Our time is now- our rights, our future’.
The conference was organized by the Teen Girls Club of Self Help International in conjunction with Rosemond Girl Child Foundation and the Old Tafo Municipal Education Office.
It afforded the girls the opportunity to meet women who are high achievers and engaged in various professions as well as successful and highly talented people from all walks of life.
The aim behind the deliberate exposure of the girls to these women was to encourage them to aim higher in life and aspire to climb up the educational ladder. The myriad of professions presented by these women was also to motivate the girls to be more adventurous in their choice of educational opportunities and career choices instead of adhering to stereotypical career choices for women.
Consequently, the main purpose of the conference was to enlighten the girls and help them to set higher goals in life, develop a high self-esteem and a strong sense of purpose in life in order to attain the drive and confidence that would propel them to seek a better future and a more fulfilling life.
The conference which was marked by motivational speeches on the welfare of the girl child, challenges faced by the girl child and the way forward for the girl child was designed to provide the 300 participants with a wealth of knowledge to equip them to navigate through life successfully.
The girls later formed small group sessions where they interacted and held discussions with the women of their choice on a more personal level and asked them questions on issues affecting them.
Other activities included poetry recitals by the girls and cultural performances.
The conference which was funded by Self Help International involved transporting the girls from their various communities to the venue for the conference at Kumasi, providing breakfast, snacks, water and lunch for the girls and invited guests as well as conference materials and transporting the girls back to their communities.
The Teen Girls Club offers an after-school program for girls above ten years in basic schools within the five communities from which the 300 participants were drawn from. The communities are Nkontomire, Bedabour, Timeabu, Kukubuso and Beposo.
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