The German Embassy has signed a funding support contract with “Our Lady of Mercy Community Services (OLAM)”, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal and the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region.
They would extend skills training programmes to some communities at Paga in the Kassena-Nankana West District and its environs.
The NGO has a track record of offering training in dressmaking, fashion and designing, soap making, detergents making, beads making, batik, tie and dye making among others and has over the years trained a number of young people particularly the vulnerable in these areas who have set up their own shops and making living.
Mr Emmanuel Atiiga, the Project Director of OLAM who made these known to the Media during the commencement of the training programme on Thursday at Paga indicated, that “We are most grateful to the Ambassador and the Staff of the German Embassy to Ghana for the confidence reposed in us as NGO by extending this funding support to our Organisation. We will work hard to ensure that we achieve good results.”
He indicated that whilst some of the beneficiaries would undergo four to six months training in dressmaking, fashion and designing, the others around Kandiga and other surrounding communities in the same District would also be trained in soap making, detergents making, beads making, batik tie and dye making for between two to three months.
The Project Director, who explained that his outfit would map out strategies to ensure that all the trainees who completed their programmes successfully graduated November this year, stressed that his outfit had been operating in northern Ghana since 2005 with the aim of empowering the underprivileged communities, women and children towards poverty reduction and community development.
He said with funding support from COTVET-SDF, Ghanaman Trust Fund, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA- Senegal) and Associated Country Women of the World, ACWW-UK , the NGO in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development had over the years trained a considerable number of the vulnerable in batik, tie and dye, soap making, beads making, dress making and Information Communication Technology (ICT) at the main training centre at Navrongo in the Upper East Region.
MR Atiiga who noted that most of the beneficiaries who passed through the training centre were school drop-outs indicated that apart from the training, the beneficiaries received start-up capital in the form of equipment and also took home certificates.
Mr Atiiga said “Over the years, we have done a lot in our operational areas and have achieved great results. We have extended micro credit to women groups in communities such as Nakolo, Vunania, Nogsenia, Saka and surrounding communities in 2006/2007 and not less than 150 women benefited; we have trained over 300 young girls, SHS, and JHS students in basic computing and internet application.”
He indicated “We have given skills training to another 381 women and girls in the various vocational courses and entrepreneurship development with support from COTVET-SDF, Ghanaman Trust Fund, OSIWA-SENEGAL and Associated Country Women of the World, ACWW-UK”, and said many of the students who passed out of the vocational training centre had set up their own shops and producing standard products to many people including institutions.
Giving her testimony, Madam Rhoda Adaamba, one of the past students of the training centre, who completed beads making training, explained that before she joined the centre to be trained, she only had little knowledge in hair dressing and had no place to practise her trade.
“After the training I set up my own shop with assistance from the training institution and now produce quality beads for the local market, especially students from UDS and other institutions around. I was further supported by the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly with funding from the three per cent of the disability fund to expand my beads business. This has economically empowered me to take care of myself and my immediate family.” Madam Adaamba stated.
