Regional News of Sunday, 12 December 2004

Source: GNA

NGO supports women to start own business

Sunyani (B/A), Dec. 12, GNA -Sixth March Women's Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Sunyani in Brong-Ahafo Region has, since its establishment six years ago financially supported about 30 women members of the Organisation in the Sunyani Municipality to start their own business

Madam Elizabeth Frimpong, the Executive Director of the Organisation, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Sunyani at the weekend said her outfit offers support for skill training programmes for women.

She said the Organisation, with a membership of 60, were trained in batik tie-and-dye, soap-making, winnimix and pomade production. Madam Frimpong, who is also Assemblywoman for Penkwase Electoral Area in the Sunyani Municipal Assembly said the main objective of her Organisation was to ensure empowerment of women to be self-sufficient and support their husbands to manage home, especially in the area of giving formal education or skill training to their children. She added that with the support of the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC), the NGO have been training community volunteers to help in the educational campaign against the spread of the disease in communities in the municipality.

The community volunteers' public education also included the need for the formation of Virgin Clubs in the Junior Secondary Schools to encourage students to lead morally upright lives to avoid contracting the dreadful HIV/AIDS disease.

She mentioned JSS in New Dormaa, Penkwasi both suburbs of Sunyani, Domasua and Abesim both in the Sunyani Municipality as where the Volunteers were working hard to establish Virgin Clubs. Madam Frimpong said her outfit was doing everything possible to extend its activities and programmes to the other districts in the region to enable a large number of women benefit from the Foundation and improve upon their living standards.