Girls urged not to allow obstacles deter them from making it in life

Mampong, June 2, GNA - Girls have been urged not to allow any obstacle they are confronted with deter them from going to school and achieving their future aspirations.

Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku, the Executive Director of Mentoring Women Ghana, who made the call said the challenges of poverty among others was just a stepping stone and should not prevent girls from achieving their purpose on earth.

Ms Dzogbenuku was speaking at the opening of a four day democracy camp organised by Leading Ladies Network with support from the Ga North Progress Mayors Fund for girls in the Ga North Municipality.

This was aimed at nurturing the girls on leadership and governance to become the next generation of female leaders.

She said poverty should not be a good reason why girls drop out of school but should rather recognise what they have within and thrive on it to become successful. 

Ms Dzogbenuku mentoring the girls on good leadership urged them to show good charisma and make a difference wherever they found themselves.

She said in other for girls to realise their potentials there was the need to always ask themselves three questions.

“The questions are: What is my one meaningful accomplishment that I am proud of? What is my most courageous act? And what qualities do I love about myself?

These are important points to ponder over because answering them defines you,” she stated.

She encouraged girls to be committed, disciplined, responsible, and gear their actions towards their commitments and do everything in truth and in love.  

The camp dubbed, “Girls Governance Camp” brought together 50 girls drawn from Senior High and Junior High Schools within the Ga North Municipality and sought to nurture them to become responsible adults.

It was also to expose the potentials of the girls to public administration and corporate governance.

The camp seeks to train the girls on social and emotional skills, communication and organisational skills, self-management, lifelong learning skills, usage of data and information for decision making among others.

Ms Yawa Hansen Quao, the Founder of Leading Ladies Network said the camp was to get the girls prepared to take further leadership roles in government, civil society and corporate organisations for the wellbeing of the girl child.

She said girls are ambitious and therefore needed to be given the right network; nurturing and tools to enable them become successful leaders.

It is important to foster leadership among women in Africa who are by themselves capable of empowering others and inspiring new generations of leaders, she stated.

Ms Quao said at the end of the four days the girls would effectively understand how democracy works, the decision-making process in governance, be more confident, have self-worth and be more organised in their daily routine.

The girls at the end of the camp would each come up with a 10 year life plan to enable them develop their potentials.

Ms Gertrude Ankrah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Ga North Municipality, recounting her hardships growing up as a child urged the girls to take up challenges as they come and overcome it.

She said there was the need to persevere and respect the elderly in other to become ladies who would stand on their feet and motivate themselves to make it.

Ms Ankrah said it was important for girls in their own small ways to volunteer in community activities as it could earn them jobs after school. 

“Do things right from now to be able to take up the mantle of leadership,” she said.

Mrs Evelyn Dogbatse, the Amasaman Municipal Girl Child Coordinator, said the few women who have made it in life were driving change in their communities and the country as a whole hence the need to educate the girl child at all cost for development.

She urged girls who are well to do in terms of academics to draw their peers closer by encouraging and engaging them during their challenges to prevent them from dropping out of school.

GNA

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