Ayensuano (E/R), Dec 11, GNA-Rev Mrs Clement A. Gyimah, the country Representative of the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN), has called for gender equity geared towards women empowerment in economic activities in Ghana.
Most opportunities opened for men should also be opened for women since they were resourceful and economically viable in the society, he said.
Rev Gyimah was speaking at an empowerment and skills training programme organized by the GAP Health Foundation in partnership with ARDN on the theme: “Stay empowered, end violence against women” in Koforidua.
The programme was part of events to commemorate this year’s international 16-day activism against gender-based violence.
The 2021 16-day activism against gender-based violence is on the theme: “Orange the World; End Violence against Women Now.”
The participants, most of them females, were trained on how to prepare local drinks such as sobolo, lamogin and asana.
They were also led through the preparation of some exotic desserts like ice-cream, meat pie and chips.
Rev Gyimah said that women and children were the ones who are normally abused a lot in the society though they contribute significantly to the development of the family and society.
He urged participants to stand against Gender-based Violence as a symbol of issuing red cards to perpetrators of domestic abuse in the community.
Stressing that most gender-based violent perpetrators in communities had no basis for abusing their victims, he added, “This is abnormal.”
In that vein, he advised men and husbands to support their wives, saying, “women control the economy, therefore, a man who supports his wife is to his own benefit.”
She admonished women and wives to engage in some income generating activities, aside from farming, which would empower them economically.
She advised women to apply the skills they acquired in making desserts and local drinks to work to fetch them some additional money.
“You should take what we are teaching you today seriously and use it as a second job or business venture to help make you viable every time,” she stressed.
The Amankrado of Asuboi, Nana Addo Tete of Anom, appealed to GAP Health Foundation to provide a gari processing machine for the community to enhance the production of gari and provide employment.
The community produces a lot of cassava, which could be processed into gari for local consumption and sale, to improve the economic wellbeing of the community members.
As part of the programme, items including used clothing were distributed to the community members.
The Executive Director of GAP Health Aid Foundation, Mrs Georgina Padi, said the Foundation would support the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) in its quest to eradicate HIV and AIDS.
Ghana is making changes at both policy and programme level in the fight against HIV/AIDS and is working towards achieving the UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 targets by 2031.
GNA