By: Antoinette Abbah
The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA and Prada Group have empowered some vulnerable girls with special skills in fashion design.
The beneficiaries were also presented with 15 industrial sewing machines to enable them practice what they have learnt during the six-month training.
Speaking at the ceremony at Ussher Hospital Sewing Centre in Accra, Head of the Gender Unit at UNFPA, Dr. Doris Aglobitse, called on other partners to come on board to provide employable skills to teen mothers and vulnerable girls in society.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Prada Group introduced the training programme for participants to gain knowledge and special skills in the fashion industry to promote gender equality.
The pilot programme dubbed: “Fashion Expressions: The Stories She Wears”, aims at promoting women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health in a six-month training programme for young women in Ghana and Kenya.
In Ghana 15 beneficiaries with the Ussher Hospital Sewing Centre were presented with sewing machines after undergoing the training.
Beneficiaries include teenage mothers, victims of abuse and kayayee selected from Greater Accra, Central, Volta and Northern Regions. They will have another six-month internship at a fashion house in the country.
Speaking at the programme, Head of Gender Unit, UNFPA, Dr Doris Aglobitse, said the goal of the organization is to give a second chance to vulnerable girls and teenage mothers.
She called on other hospitals in the country to emulate the example of Ussher hospital and establish centers for skills training.
UNFPA Training Facilitator, Margaret-Mary Koranteng, said all the students did extremely well and have already started sewing garments on their own.
Some of the beneficiaries shared their experiences with GBC NEWS.
After the industrial attachment, the beneficiaries from Ussher Hospital and Adidome Centres will compete with their counterparts in Kenya for a one year fully funded scholarship slot at the Institute for Fashion technology in New York.
