By Anthony Apubeo, GNA
Bolgatanga, April 25, GNA - Basic Needs Ghana, a Non-Governmental advocacy mental health organisation has organised Train-the-trainers workshop for the leadership of Self-Help Groups (SHG) made up of people with mental illness and epilepsy and their caregivers in the Upper East Region.
The Train-the-trainers programme, is aimed at building the capacities of the participants on how to start and manage their small scale businesses as well as livelihood activities.
The participants are expected to impart same training to other mental health persons and their caregivers from their respective communities.
The training workshop was funded by the Department For International Development (DFID) of UK.
About 85 beneficiaries made up of 37 groups from the Bawku Municipal, Binduri and Bawku West Districts and 48 from the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipals.
Mr Dokurugu Adam Yahaya, the Programmes Manager of Basic Needs-Ghana, who facilitated the training sessions, stated that Basic Needs –Ghana and its partners viewed the acquisition of livelihoods skills of mental illness and epilepsy and their caregivers as essential tool to their economic and social empowerment.
Mr Yahaya who schooled the participants on the various types of small scale businesses, resources for a small scale business, skills needed to manage a small scale business, marketing of small scale business, good record keeping among others, explained that it was against this background that Basic Needs Ghana with funding support from DFID was building the capacities of the beneficiaries who would intend train others.
He said the objectives of the training among others included; equipping SHG leaders, particularly pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers with livelihood skills and the confidence to train their group members.
It was also to build the capacities of participants to support their group members to set up and run small scale businesses and to enhance the knowledge of participants on resource mobilisation and management
He indicated that the goal of the training was to ensure that there was improved income among poor and vulnerable pregnant women, girls and breastfeeding mothers, SHG members and their families.
Among some of the types of small scale businesses and livelihoods and marketing strategies, the participants were schooled on included Land-based livelihoods (Agriculture, Livestock), Forest Resource based livelihoods, advertising, developing Information Management Systems including; good record keeping and good savings culture.
The participants were further taken through Non-farm Options including; modern and traditional skill based, Handicrafts such as beads making, weave- on making, flower and decorations, processing of produce and collective trading, individual and group enterprises, and customer care and service provision.
They were also empowered to source resources within their localities and other micro financial institutions to commence their small scale businesses.
The beneficiaries who thanked the DFID, the donor organisation and Basic Needs Ghana, pledged to also train their colleagues in their respective jurisdictions and to put the training acquired at the doorsteps of the communities to bring about positive change.
GNA
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