NGO to support about 800 porters

Tamale, Dec. 12, GNA- Mr Nyadia Sulemana Nelson, Livelihood and Advocacy Manager of RAINS, an NGO in Tamale said in Tamale on Friday that some social organisations are to train female porters in employable skills.

He was speaking at the first anniversary celebration of Campaign for Female Education Association (CAMA), another NGO working in the interest of girls.

Mr Sulemana said recruitment of the girls for training would be done early next year adding that about 750 girls would be given the training. He said that RAINS with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had drawn up a programme on the elimination of child labour and abuses as a strategy to complement government's efforts of addressing the phenomenon.

He said RAINS had supported about 10,000 girls to continue their education, 6,000 of whom went to the basic schools, 3,000 availed themselves of secondary education while 57 pursued courses at tertiary institutions. He pledged the commitment of RAINS to continue to support brilliant but needy girls to "climb to the top of the educational ladder".

The anniversary had the theme: "Young Women as Agents of Change" and was meant to sensitize the public about the activities of CAMA.

Ms Fuseina Hanifa, Coordinating Director of CAMA said the major challenges facing the world is the need for girls everywhere to have access to quality education adding that the education of the girl child must continue to be a right and not a privilege.

She said CAMA seeks to empower more women in the region to take their rightful place in society and urged the public and other NGOs operating in the region to give their maximum support to CAMA.

In a speech read for him, Mr. Iddrisu Adam Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive observed that parents in the three Northern Regions were still giving out their girls for early marriages and appealed to CAMA to work harder to eliminate the canker.

He said the situation had led to a remarkable school dropout rate in some parts of the region and advised parents to stop the that habit. Mr Adam said government would continue to support the children particularly the porters in skill training to reduce the exodus to the southern sector for non-existent jobs.

Hajia Hajara Telly Northern Region President of the Federation of Muslim Women's Association in Ghana (FOMWAG), who chaired the function told CAMA executive to persevere and withstand all hardships that would come their way.