By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, July 29, GNA-A Ghanaian journalist and gender activist, Regina Asamoah, has been awarded the US Department of State IVLP Impact Award Grant, 2024, for her ‘Young Voices Matter’ project, to equip children with skills to combat gender-based violence (GBV).
According to the US Department of State, 120 applicants from 101 countries were selected as recipients of the grant; and all awardees would receive financial support from the State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with Meridian International Center serving as the implementing partner for their respective projects in their home countries.
The ‘Young Voices Matter: Empowering Boys and Girls in the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence’ project is one of the selected few which stood tall among over 600 other projects submitted by individuals globally for the grant.
The educative project also aims at creating awareness of GBV involving children, and fostering a safe and supportive environment for both girls and boys.
It will be implemented in Accra, in partnership with Missing Children Ghana, an organisation dedicated to finding children who have gone missing and reuniting them with their families.
The grant award follows the multiple award-winning Ms Asamoah’s participation in the 2023 IVLP on Gender-Based Violence held in the United States upon her nomination by the U.S. Embassy Ghana.
The programme was organized by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Global Ties Akron, and Gulf Coast Diplomacy.
She joined eight other children and gender advocates from Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, and Guinea for the three-week exchange programme.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Ms Asamoah said she had the opportunity to learn from and interact with U.S-based international organisations advancing the rights of children, women, and human rights during the programme.
She visited six States – Washington D.C, Louisville, New Hampshire, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver, where she learnt more about Gender-Based Violence and American culture.
She expressed gratitude for the recognition and support from the IVLP Impact Awards, noting that it was a win for the ordinary Ghanaian child facing GBV whether openly or silently.
“I do not consider this award a personal achievement. It is an achievement of the young people. It is a victory for every child and young person who has faced GBV, and those who are being abused and bullied into keeping mute. Together, we will amplify their voices and create lasting change,” she said.
Her project underscores the power of education and community involvement in addressing GBV and sets a promising precedent for similar initiatives in the future.
“My IVLP Impact Award Project will stand as a beacon of hope in the ongoing struggle against GBV. Together, we can cultivate a future where every individual can live free from fear and oppression,” she stated.
Speaking about the impact of the “Young Voices Matter” project, Ms Asamoah said it empowered young boys and girls to become champions of change in the fight of GBV by instilling in them the necessary skills to recognise and prevent GBV, and also provide vital support to survivors.
Additionally, it would create a generation of youth who were not just bystanders but active agents of change in ending GBV in schools.
The project, she said would engage 100 pupils from two selected schools in educational sessions designed to equip them with the knowledge and tools to combat GBV.
These sessions will be supplemented by a workshop involving 10 teachers, enlightening and empowering them to effectively address GBV issues within their classrooms and school communities.
A training manual would also be developed for the teachers to serve as part of project sustainability.
The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange programme funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Launched in 1940, it aims at building mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders.
GNA