Bolgatanga: The Purim for African Youth Development Platform (PURIM), a non-governmental organization, has launched a significant initiative to empower vulnerable adolescent girls with essential knowledge and skills to combat child marriage and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
According to Ghana News Agency, the initiative, known as the Promoting Adolescent Safe Spaces (PASS), is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and aims to end child marriage. It equips girls with the ability to educate their peers on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and to refer cases of child marriage and SGBV to appropriate authorities, including community leaders and the police.
The PASS initiative extends beyond education, offering psychosocial support, livelihood, and digital skills training to foster economic empowerment. Beneficiaries, aged 10 to 19, from Bongo in the Upper East Region and Walewale in the North East Region, undergo training in areas such as SRHR, SGBV, Ghana's Constitution, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, sexually transmitted infections, and child labor.
During a two-day workshop in Bolgatanga, Reverend Aku Xornam Kevi, Executive Director of PURIM, emphasized the program's focus on reaching vulnerable girls, including teenage mothers and those from deprived areas. She highlighted the cultural norms that often leave girls feeling disempowered and stressed the importance of addressing these challenges.
Reverend Kevi stated, "We believe that real empowerment starts with a mindset shift. If the mind of the girl changes, she becomes empowered." She added that the initiative aims to train about 2,000 girls this year in vocational and entrepreneurial skills, building on the 7,000 girls trained last year.
The success of PAYDP and the PASS initiative, which began in 2007 and 2017 respectively, is evident as some previously out-of-school girls have returned to education, while others have pursued careers in male-dominated fields. Reverend Kevi noted that the goal is to reach 1,000 girls by year-end through peer education.
Beneficiary Mavis Adongo from Bongo praised the program for strengthening her resilience against abuse, while Nafisah Iddrisu from Walewale expressed her determination to empower her peers and raise awareness about the dangers of teenage pregnancy and STIs.
