The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ghana has made another progressive headway in the fight to improve the lives of women, girls, and the youth in Ghana.
This time, UNFPA Ghana has partnered with Mckingtorch Africa, a social enterprise working in the environmental sustainability space, to create sustainable futures for the youth, especially women, girls, and persons with disabilities through the EcoFem initiative.
The EcoFem initiative, which kicked off at the beginning of this year, aims to train nearly 100 participants over a 24-month period.
The training covers a diverse range of skills, including shoemaking, bag making, earring creation using recycled materials, training in various recycling business models, promoting economic growth, and reducing waste in Ghana.
Participants will also receive intense business management training and mentorship from successful women-led businesses.
Speaking exclusively to UniversNews, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mckingtorch Africa, Mr. Makafui Awuku emphasized the importance of the project and stated that at the end of the training period, participants would have learned practical skills that can lead to sustainable livelihoods.
“The training is in phases and these women, girls and other young people living with disability are being trained in models that have been tested, that have been commercialized and products are already on the market. So the knowledge that is being transferred to them is something that has been proven that works already”, he said.
Mr. Awuku added that the program is particularly impactful for women and girls who have faced significant challenges, including rehabilitation from prostitution and others living with disabilities.
“Some of them [the beneficiaries] live with disabilities, some of them have been rehabilitated from prostitution, and some of them are head porters [kayayei]. Some other participants do not have a physical space to run their businesses. After training, they can use our center to create their products,” Awuku explained.
In addition to hands-on training, Mr. Awuku highlighted that EcoFem will establish a mobile app for waste recovery in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, further enhancing community engagement in environmental sustainability.
He added that an e-commerce platform is also being developed to help participants sell their creations online.
“We are also setting up an e-commerce platform for the women and the girls and the young people. So the products we are making, we have to upload them onto their social media pages, we have to upload them onto e-commerce platforms like Tonaton, Jumia etc. and be able to sell them. So this is the project and the interventions that we are running,” he told UniversNews.
Mr. Awuku further mentioned that currently, the program has enrolled 40 girls and two young men, including 15 head porters and four women rehabilitated from prostitution.
“Currently there are 40 girls and I think two young men. There are 15 of the head porters also in the program. There are about four women rehabilitated from prostitution in the program. Even though the training is not yet over, some of the girls have already started making products and selling them. They see the relevance of this program as a means to escape poverty and create alternative income streams,” Awuku noted.
The initiative is supported by various partners, including UNFPA Ghana, which is contributing significantly to the program’s funding ensuring a robust support system for participants.
Mr. Makafui Awuku expressed his profound gratitude to UNFPA Ghana for their continued support in improving the lives of women and girls in Ghana.
UNFPA Ghana has been a pioneer of women empowerment and social change for many years and the Deputy Representative, Dr. Emmily Naphambo’s encouragement for continued support and mentorship emphasized the impact it can have not only on the beneficiaries but also on society at large.
“If we are going to make this place a better world, then certainly, all of us have to contribute, so it’s an opportunity, not just for their own branding but also an opportunity for them to do something for the big corporation of young people we have in Ghana that don’t seem to have any employment opportunities. It is something worth the cost to invest in.”
Mr. Awuku concluded his remarks with optimism about the future of the EcoFem project saying “this is definitely something that will improve the livelihoods of these girls and young people. They are excited about this opportunity and are committed to the program.”
As EcoFem continues to unfold over the coming months, it promises to be a transformative force in both environmental sustainability and economic empowerment for some of Ghana’s most vulnerable populations.
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Story by: Kelly Adjetey Boye | univers.ug.edu.gh
