Miss Ghana 2010 winner Stephanie Karikari is set to start her project work on women empowerment later this month.

The 19 year old would take to the ghettos and slums in search of deprived and destitute women whose living conditions impact negatively on their children. She would attempt, through the kind donation of her sponsors and well-meaning Ghanaians, to bring relief and assistance to them.

The project, a prerequisite for all Miss World finalists, which Stephanie would be attending later this year, would among other things, help to register these mothers onto the National Health Insurance Scheme.

This she hopes would enable them access quality healthcare, a service most of them don’t get to enjoy due to the unavailability of funds. Communities such as the Sodom and Gomorrah (Old Fadama), where Stephanie is hoping to rehabilitate a dilapidated day care centre and Agbogbloshie among others, would benefit from this project.

To this end, she has appealed to the general public to help her raise the needed funds for the project. Among other items, she is expecting to receive donations such as slightly-used clothes, toys, books, mosquito nets, mattresses, chairs, tables, food and cash.

Stephanie said: “I am appealing to all to support me with donations to rehabilitate and refurbish these centres. With your support, I hope to empower these deprived women particularly single mothers to improve the quality of their lives and better take care of their children. My primary focus will be to engage the communities where these women and children live and work with a selected few as a case study to establish the fact that with the right amount of commitment and support, it is possible to improve quality of life for the women and children”.

The project will be jointly monitored by Media Whizz Kids, the organizers of the pageant, the Ministry of Women’s and Children’s Affairs, Ghana Health Service and community leaders in those areas she will help put smiles on the faces of the women.