By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Aug. 19, GNA – The Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD) Ghana has trained members of the She Leads Social Movement to enable them to enhance their advocacy efforts towards transforming negative social norms while promoting positive norms.
It was also to whip up the interest of the members of the Movement in participating actively in its activities to enable it to achieve its intended purpose.
Addressing members of the Movement at the training in Wa at the weekend, Miss Ernestina Biney, the Acting Executive Director of CARD-Ghana, said the interest of the members in the Movement was dying off hence the need to rekindle their interest in its activities.
The Upper West Regional Social Movement was launched in July 2023, as part of efforts to scale up the campaign against negative social and gender norms in society as part of the implementation of the She Leads project by CARD-Ghana in partnership with Plan International Ghana.
The She Leads Social Movement was formed to bring together young advocates who were passionate about issues affecting girls and young women to advocate against issues affecting girls and young women.
Madam Biney explained that there were a lot of negative norms, not only at the communities but also at the institutional level because such norms were passed on from generation to generation and transferred to the offices and workplaces.
She said those negative norms required concerted efforts to be transformed to achieve a just society for all
“We want to see them extend their advocacy to their communities or wherever they are working, speaking on issues affecting girls and women and calling for policymakers to do something about these negative norms we are talking about,” Miss Biney explained.
Mr Felix Bagyiliko Wuurah, the Wa Municipal Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), encouraged the members of the Movement to take measures to sustain their activities and to achieve their set goals and objectives.
He suggested collaboration with other organisations and institutions in the implementation of their activities to help cut down the cost of funding.
He also entreated them to establish a “solid” governance or leadership structure with defined roles and responsibilities and encourage volunteerism within the movement.
Mr Wuurah also urged the members to be wary of disunity, social and cultural norms and external oppositions, including legal and regulatory frameworks that could hinder their effective functioning.
Madam Zainab Salifu Putiaha from the Chegli community commended CARD-Ghana and Plan International Ghana for extending the project to her community, which had influenced her husband to send her back to school.
Madam Putiaha married seven years ago after Senior High School and had no hope of having tertiary education but had now gained admission to study general nursing at the Nursing Training College, Wa, due to She Leads project intervention in the community.
GNA