Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, a youth-centered non-governmental organization operating in the Upper East Region has handed over a Seamstresses Training Enterprise Project center in Upper East to the Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute (BCTI), a Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institute in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
The fashion center was built and equipped with modern fashion tools in 2010 to train and give young girls capacity building and a skill they can rely on to be self-sufficient and also in a bid to reduce teenage pregnancy and early marriage.
As part of the empowerment of the youth in soap-making through the Ideal Woman (Pogmenka) project with support from Plan International Ghana through Global Affairs Canada, many youths were trained with the project ending three years ago.
However, Plan International Ghana handed the organization a four-month top-up grant which has led to the training of 95 women in Yikene and Zongo with 40 persons with disability in Bongo set to be trained.
On this basis, the organization has revamped the STEP UP center and officially handed the facility over to authorities of BCTI on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, to be utilized by students studying clothing and textiles for their practical activities.
Youth Harvest will equally assist the school authorities with other practical materials to be used by the students for their practical work at the facility.
Speaking to Dreamz News moments after the handing over, Abigail Adumolga, Gender and Child Protection Manager of Youth Harvest Foundation noted that the essence of the project is to empower young girls and persons with disabilities with the needed skills to be self-reliant.
“The project dubbed ‘Pogmenka’ is being implemented with funding support from Plan International, Ghana. The project aims to reduce gender inequality in the Municipality and the region at large through economic empowerment of women and girls. It is a four month projected from Dec 2023- March 2024.
The project will provide skills training in soap production, basket weaving, and sewing for selected women and girls in Bolgatanga Municipal. So far 95 women from Yikene and Muslim communities have been trained in both liquid and cake soap production. An additional 40 women with disabilities will be trained in soap production in Bongo while 50 women in Yikene will also be trained in basket weaving.” She said.
She continued stating “Beneficiaries will be given some support to start their businesses. They will also benefit from business and financial management training to enable them to successfully manage their businesses.”
Principal of the Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute, (BCTI), Diana Kwakye Ayettey, expressed gratitude to Youth Harvest Foundation for the gesture while assuring them of the judicious use of the facility.
“Looking at our institution, the number is outgrowing many of the things we have. We don’t have enough machines, more to the point; we don’t have industrial ones. So, allowing us to enhance the training skills of our children get which will help them to step up in learning and applying the knowledge well. I’m assuring you that we will utilize this facility very well to give the students hands-on training.” She expressed gratitude.
On her part, the Executive Director of Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, Priscilla Nyaaba, explained that it was necessary to revamp the center to make it usable and not continue to lock up the center when many young girls can utilize the facility as she charged the students to take advantage of the facility to become competitive.
