By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, Oct. 11, GNA- Ms. Maribel Okine, the Western Regional Director of Gender, has urged stakeholders to invest in proven solutions that accelerate progress for girls.
She said International Day of the Girl Child was therefore a call to action for everyone; governments, civil organizations, individuals, and communities to support the potential of the more than 1.1 billion girls in the world.
Ms. Okine told the Ghana News Agency, in an interview, that when girls lead, the impact was immediate and wide reaching; “families, communities and economies are all stronger, our future is brighter, adding empowering girls unlocked their potential and creativity.”
The Director of Gender said girls’ perspectives were crucial for solving global challenges and spoke against the limited access to education and healthcare, Child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence and Stereotypes, biases, and discrimination, Climate change, poverty, and inequality
She added that empowering girls for the future required quality education and skills training, health and well-being programmes, economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, leadership development and mentorship and safe spaces and supportive communities.
She therefore called on all stakeholders to support girls’ education and empowerment initiatives, amplify girls’ voices and stories, address systemic barriers and biases, invest in girls’ futures.
She emphasized the urgency of empowering girls for a brighter future through collective action since, according to UNICEF “empowering girls is empowering humanity.”
GNA