From discriminatory laws to cultural norms, these marginalised groups often have restricted access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, among others, deepening their vulnerability towards harsh life experiences such as Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), including rape, child marriages, trafficking and climate change impact.
STATISTICS
The UN Women Global database on violence against women shows that an estimated 736 million (almost one in three) women, experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, with approximately two-thirds (750 million) of the global illiterate adult population being women (UNESCO), and that about 50 per cent of the world’s extreme poor are women (World Bank).
Again, one in five girls are formally married or are engaged in an informal union before their 18th birthday, which is higher among least developed countries, says the United Nations Population (UNFPA), the UN’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency.
In Ghana, about one in five girls below age 18 years would experience child marriage, with the country already being home to over two million child brides (UNICEF/ UNFPA), and nearly one in four women experience SGBV, (UN Women, 2022), and majority of these females lack formal education, their contribution to the national labour force rate is low, compared to their male counterparts.
SOCIAL NORMS
Just like many African countries, the Ghanaian mode of socialisation processes, traditional values and cultural norms bestows a low status on females, creating a sense of inferiority, poor self-esteem, and a general acceptability of these fallacies.
Additionally, there are societal expectations and cultural norms requiring females to play traditional roles of unpaid childcare combined with other domestic responsibilities, while others suffer from harmful cultural practices like child slavery (Trokosi) and Female Genital Mutilation, which have serious physical and health consequences on victims.
These socio-economic inequalities contribute to increased maternal mortality and morbidity rates, and rooted poverty cycle among women, particularly young females living with disabilities.
Clearly, women’s socio-economic exclusion has far-reaching consequences like limited access to land, financial resources among other services, inadequate vocational and job opportunities resulting in a disproportionate burden of unpaid work and a cycle of poverty among families.
MCKINGTORCH EcoFEM INITIATIVE
Consequently, in Ghana where women and girls continue to face such intimidating barriers to socio-economic empowerment, Mckingtorch Africa’s Economic Empowerment for Females through Entrepreneurship and Management (EcoFEM) initiative, shines as a beacon of hope.
From vocational training to mentorship and funding support, Mckingtorch Africa’s comprehensive approach, has sparked a chain of reaction of innovation, resilience, and collective uplifts challenging traditional narratives and paving the way for a brighter and inclusive future for women and girls, including young females with disabilities.
The EcoFEM initiative is a sustainability business incubation programme being implemented by Mckingtorch Africa, a Ghanaian Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), with funding and technical support from Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs – World University Service of Canada (WUSC-Ghana), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which is the UN’s Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Agency, and Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP- Ghana), an NGO.
Mr Makafui Awuku, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mckingtorch Africa, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency/Media and Communication Advocacy Network, said the Organisation focused on empowering women, youth and communities through sustainable development initiatives, climate change resilience and social justice through community-led initiatives.
He said the programme, launched at the beginning of 2024 to train approximately 100 participants over a 24-month period, is a transformative force towards achieving environmental sustainability and economic empowerment for some of Ghana’s most vulnerable populations.
It seeks to provide entrepreneurial skills training for females below age 34 years and support the creation of at least 10 women-led recycling businesses in the production of footwear, bags, jewelry and other products from recycled materials, including leather and plastic waste.
SUCCESSES
Mr Awuku said the programme had since made great impact towards job creation, promoting business conception among beneficiaries, to advance economic empowerment and maximise their contribution towards growth, poverty reduction and social inclusion.
It has transformed the lives of over 60 females, including head porters (Kayayei) aligned with the UNFPA, and young females living with disabilities, equipping them with vocational skills, digital and SRH knowledge, self-confidence and the funding to thrive in the business world.
He said the training was in phases and uses effectively tested and commercialised models, with existing products on the market, and the current cohort of 30 trainee including beneficiaries from UNFPA, are also receiving mentorship from business experts for their sustainable growth.
Mr Makafui said the Organisation has also establish a mobile App for plastic waste recovery in Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions to enhance community engagement in environmental sustainability.
Mckingtorch Africa is currently aiding the establishment of an e-commerce platform like “Tonaton and Jumia,” for the women to showcase and sell their products without necessarily having a physical shop.
“We already have access to potential customers in the green space and will provide them with access and once the platform is live, people can visit the pages to order or purchase items,” he said, pledging the organisation’s continuous technical assistance to these female-led businesses even after the training.
IMPACT
Mr Makafui indicated that the programme has been very impactful, particularly for marginalised women, girls and youth living with disabilities, who have faced significant challenges, including rehabilitation from prostitution, Kayayei and mental health issues.
He said the Organisation in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, during the Ghana Climate Week, mounted an exhibition to showcase products from the women for sale, and also secured job opportunities with some companies, for two of its trainees.
Mckingtorch also secured contracts for some of the women to make souvenir products for some of its foreign visitors, out of which the group earned over GHC1,500.00 as income from their sales.
“We currently offer a physical co-working space for the programme participants, since some of them do not have safe spaces and facilities for work purposes, “so after the training they can use our centres to create their products for sale,” Mr Awuku said.
Mr Awuku said programme beneficiaries have diverse backgrounds, including recent university graduates, people with existing businesses, and others with no business experience, which allows for a diverse and inclusive project that caters for various demographics.
ROLE OF UNFPA / PAYDP
UNFPA is working with governments and other partners to support the global adaptation responses to the unfolding climate change crises, with a focus on women, girls and marginalised groups, and these actions must uphold the human rights of all.
The Agency is committed to achieving its agenda of “Leaving No one Behind,” by ensuring the inclusiveness of women and girls, prioritising marginalised groups like ‘Out-of-school girls, young women with disabilities, orphans, street children including Kayayei, and rural communities, through strategic investment, providing unique funding and technical assistance for their activities.
Among others, the Agency provides capacity building, and advocacy to promote positive policy changes to ensure gender equality and women’s socio-economic empowerment.
Therefore, UNFPA Ghana’s strategic partnership with Mckingtorch Africa under the EcoFEM programme demonstrates its commitment to empowering marginalised women’s groups and promoting their sustainable development.
It aligns with UNFPAs goals of ending child marriage, SGBV, teenage pregnancies, ensuring universal access to SRH, promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment through skills training.
It supports the initiative with funding and technical assistance, while integrating SRH education and services into their training models for a holistic outcome.
In 2018, UNFPA launched efforts to achieve three transformative ambitions involving: “Ending unmet need for Family Planning; Ending preventable maternal death; and Ending GBV and harmful practices,” with the mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
PAYDP, a Ghanaian NGO, is also offering its expertise in youth development and empowerment, community-based programming and research and policy advocacy among others, to enhance the effectiveness of the EcoFEM programme.
It leverages resources and amplify the impact on women’s holistic well-being including their economic empowerment, hence the trio partnership, demonstrates the power of collaborative efforts in advancing sustainable development, climate change adaptation and gender equality.
Empowering women and girls with knowledge and skills will not only improve their social and financial statuses to become independent, but also enhance environmental sustainability, giving plastic waste and other reusable materials a second change to mitigate climate change impact on societies.
GNA
