Kumasi, Nov 18, GNA - Fifteen brilliant but needy girls are benefiting from the Krachi Girl-Child Education Fund launched by Nana Amma Mprah Denkyiwa, Queen Mother of the Krachi Traditional Area, in 2002.

The first batch of four are in the final year in senior secondary schools with three of them pursuing science and the other studying business.

This was made known by Nana Denkyiwa when she launched the fund in Kumasi at the weekend.

She said, so far the fund had spent about 8.7 million cedis on the beneficiaries.

Nana Denkyiwa expressed concern about the lack of motivation for girl-child the education to the highest level in the area and said this had made girls to lag behind their male counterparts. She described the situation as unfortunate and called on parents to encourage girl-child education.

The Queen Mother expressed satisfaction with the response to the fund in the face of the present economic difficulties.

She noted that the idea was catching up with the girls in the area, particularly having realised that the first beneficiaries would be completing senior secondary school this academic year.

The Queen Mother called on citizens and friends of Krachi to support the fund by contributing generously into it.

Nana Abeam Danso II, Ankobeahene of Krachi, noted that the area's development depended on education and said sidelining the education of the girl-child would impede the development of the area. He called on the people to explore all avenues to get financial support for the fund.

Nana Abeam also called on Krachis throughout the country to organise regular fund raising activities to support the fund.