Regional News of Monday, 11 January 2010

Source: GNA

NGO supporting night school for young mothers

Takoradi, Jan. 11, GNA - The Advocates and Trainers for Women's Welf= are and Advancement (ATWAAR), a Non-Governmental Organization, is running a night school for over 20 young mothers aged between 17 and 18 years at Diabene near Takoradi.

Ms Ekua Ansah-Eshon, Executive Director of ATWAAR and National Coordinator of the World's Children's Prize on the Rights of the Child (WCPRC), said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Takoradi. She said the night school was to help prepare the young mothers to continue their education after giving birth. It was initiated by three female students of Diabene Senior High Sch= ool who participated in WCPRC voting process for the outstanding internationa= l child rights advocate at the school.

Ms Ansah-Eshon said the girls sought permission from the Queenmother= of the community who gave them a place to organize the school which ATWAAR w= as supporting.

She said three young mothers who attended the night school had enrol= led at Junior High Schools while six others are now attending Senior High Schools which the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has agreed to finance the education of the six SSS students. Ms Ansah-Eshon said Nelson Mandela, former South African President, won the WCPRC award for World's Children's Decade Hero held in 2009. She said in Ghana, some 346 children from the Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions participated in the voting process for the award.