The Ghana Girl Guides Association (GGGA) has launched a programme to train 100 head porters (kayayei) with entrepreneurial skills.

The ‘Power in Her Hand’ project being rolled out with the support of the Latter Day Saints Charities will provide the head porters with skills in bead making, pastry making, dressmaking, as well as soap and detergent making to help them create jobs for themselves.

With the support of the Latter Day Saints Charities, the GGGA has put up a training centre a t Accra to offer the skills training to beneficiaries.
Each person will be offered the skills training in their areas of interest.

Launch

At the launch of the programme in Accra last Sunday, the Project Manager of GGGA, Mrs Sylvia Asare Ayin, said Power in Her Hands was the signature project to mark the association’s centenary (100 years) anniversary this year.

The project follows a pilot edition which trained 50 head porters who graduated on the launch of the expanded project.

Mrs Ayin added that the graduands would be given starter kits with capital (materials and some cash) to support them to start their business.

The GGGA project manager added that certificates would be awarded to the head porters after the training.

Mini kiosk

She said that the association had put up a mini kiosk where the girls could bring their products to be displayed and the proceeds of sales given to them in whole.

She added that the associations looked forward to impacting more head porters to attain this skill.

Interview

The Chief Commissioner of the association, Ms Zakiya Abdul Wahab, explained that the centenary anniversary project was to empower the head porters to earn money to take care of themselves and improve their livelihoods.

She expressed appreciation to Latter Day Saints Charities for the partnership, adding that the support for the association had been able to put up a skill centre where the girls would be trained.

The Chief Commissioner also appealed to the general public, social organisations and corporate entities to support the association.

Some of the head porters who graduated expressed their gratitude to the Ghana Girl Guides Association for the opportunity to learn a skill with which they could also start and manage their business.

They expressed their appreciation to the association and pledged to put what they had learnt into practice.