The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), a civil society organization, through the Ambassador Girls Scholarship School Programme (AGSP), has supported over 2,000 deprived girls and boys in some deprived communities in the Upper East Region and West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region between 2004 and 2010.
The beneficiary Districts are Bongo District, Bawku Municipal and Garu-Tempane District in the Upper East Region.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Bolgatanga at the weekend, the Regional Manger of ISODEC, Mr. Jonathan Adabre, said under the scholarship package beneficiaries are given food, school uniforms, foot wears, books, school bags and bicycles.
The AGSP Programme motive is to undertake activities that will ensure increased girls enrolment, high retention and transition rate from basic to secondary school level and to promote attitudinal change in target communities about the benefits of girl child education.
It is also to arouse the interest of community members about the importance of education in general.
It is funded by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), managed by World Education Incorporated and implemented by ISODEC.
Mr. Adabre said since the inception of the programme in the Region, it had increased enrolment of girls and retained them in school from the basic to secondary level.
Many of the girls have successfully completed secondary education and gone further to training colleges and tertiary institutions.
He said plans were far advanced to constitute mentoring as a programme this year by organizing debates and quiz competitions, video outreach programmes, remedial classes, role modelling using past AGSP scholars and drama.
He said the programme would also increase awareness, reduce stigma on reproductive health rights as well as tradition and cultures affecting girl education among others.