Nyariga (UE), March 28, GNA - The Nyariga Donne Mothers Club of Nyariga, in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region, has been commended for establishing the first and only Girls Primary and Junior High in the region.

The Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs. Lucy Awini commended the club in a speech read for her, during the 20th anniversary of the Nyariga Donne Mothers Club held at the weekend at Nayriga. She expressed joy at hearing that the school, which started with 35 girls in September 1988, now has a total population of over 500 girls, in both the Primary and the Junior High Schools. She however urged them not to be complacent about their great achievement but rather strive harder to achieve more to develop the community.

She noted that the objectives of the Nyariga Mothers Club, which was to reduce poverty through education was in tandem with the Government's policy on women empowerment, which seeks to make them equal partners in the decision-making process.

Mrs. Awini indicated that Government through the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs in collaboration with other Ministries and stakeholders was implementing programmes and policies, some of which were to promote women in political decision-making process. She said it was a component index for enhancing good governance; reduce poverty, through alternative livelihood schemes targeting the poor, vulnerable and marginalized.

She said as part of bringing the needed relief to the women, government has instituted measures to address women reproductive health, infant and Maternal Mortality among others. She therefore entreated women to take advantage of some of the pro-poor policies, including the Macro-finance and Small Loan Centre (MASLOC), Free Health Care for Pregnant women, School Feeding Programme, among others, to improve upon their livelihoods.

She assured the Women's Group that the Regional Coordinating Council and the Municipal Assembly would assist to build their Vocational and Craft Village they had earlier requested. The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Epsona Ayamga stated that the celebration of the 20th Anniversary, which was aimed at raising money to build the Vocational and Craft Village, would help give employable skills to some of the pupils who might not be able to further their education, to become professionals on their own. "It would also help curb the rural urban migration, which often led to exploitation of the youth from the North who sometimes fall prey to unscrupulous people", he emphasized.

Mr Ayamga said the Girl Child Education programme adopted by the Nyariga-Donne Mothers Club fits into the Assembly's plans and so it would help provide infrastructure in schools, including public places of convenience, support the Community Water and Sanitation Agency to provide water facilities and prevent school children from travelling far distances in search of water.

He said the Municipal Assembly was revising its bylaws so that it could get more people to send their girl children to school and said additional financial assistance would given to the brilliant but needy girls at the Basic, Secondary and Tertiary levels. The Coordinator of the Nyariga-Donne Mothers Club, Mr John Akaribo commended philanthropists like Theresa Wilson of Blessing Basket Project of United States of America and others for contributing in diverse ways in the development of the school.

He said one of the biggest challenges facing his outfit was to raise funds to construct the Vocational and Craft Village to help in poverty reduction as contained in the Millennium Development Goal. He appealed to the Government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Philanthropists among other, to contribute to the realization of the Nyariga-Donne Mother Club's dreams. 2