The United Nations Funds for Populated Activities (UNFPA-GHANA) has launched a programme to support and provide vocational skills to head porters within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

The project, in collaboration with the Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, has supported 500 young women with alternative livelihood skills such as beads making, baking, production of varieties of soap and detergents to help improve their economic and social lives, and registered the young women on the national health insurance program.

Speaking at the event, the country representative of UNFPA-Ghana, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected young women economically and socially and his outfit aims at providing information, education, and training for the women to equip themselves.

“The pandemic has negatively affected the livelihoods, and welfare of the families of these young women who have endured many unfortunate experiences, such as sexual and gender-based violence, rape, and sexually transmitted diseases as they are strangers in some way to this land. And so it is this light that UNFPA provided sexual and gender-based violence information, they also received mentorship and business advisory training and lastly enrolled 500 Kyayei unto the National health insurance scheme.

Speaking to some Kayayei women at the event, they expressed their profound gratitude to UNFPA for making this initiative to help them a reality and promised to go back where they came from.

“I’m very happy because I have learnt how to make soap so when I go back to the north I will continue the soap making said one," one said.

“I want to say a big thank you to UNFPA they taught me how to use a condom and put my name on the health insurance. Thank you,” said another.

"I have learnt a lot these six months that I have been training with UNFPA god bless them,” another beneficiary said.