By Victoria Agyemang
Cape Coast, Sept 2, GNA – Lady Reverend Vivian Offin, Founder of the Just Smile Foundation, an NGO empowering the adolescent girl-child, has appealed to stakeholders to prioritise the needs of adolescent girls to enable them to concentrate on their studies.
The girl-child development oriented-Foundation seeks to promote the adolescent girl child’s empowerment, education and equipping them to become great women in future.
She said adolescent girls and women were most affected in terms of violence hence the need to ensure their safety and wellbeing within the communities.
Lady Rev Offin made the appeal when she addressed the youth at the 2022 Oguaa Fetu Afahye Inter-Community Quiz competition held at the Emintsimadze Palace.
The competition formed part of pre-activities of the festival and was aimed at promoting reading among school children, encouraging them to explore the culture and history of their land, whilst instilling learning habits in them.
It was jointly organised by the Cape Coast Youth Development Association and the Oguaa Fetu Afahye Planning Committee, in collaboration with the Ghana Library Authority (GLA).
Lady Rev Offin noted that many parents were not privy to developmental issues relating to the adolescent and, therefore, were not able to help them make informed decisions that may affect their future.
Additionally, the adolescents played crucial roles in national development and the need for stakeholders to advance their wellbeing to contribute their quota to that agenda.
She said the Foundation was grooming young women to become all round personalities to take up leadership roles and move the nation to greater heights.
It is also to support adolescent girls to contribute positively to develop their lives and the country at large without hindrances.
Thirty-nine communities within the Oguaa Traditional Area participated in the competition in phases and six qualified to the finals.
They are Brofoyedru, OLA newsite, OLA low cost, Social Welfare, Kru-Town and Ayikoo-Ayikoo.
Brofoyedru was adjudged winners while OLA low cost and Newsite placed first and second runners-up, respectively.
Social Welfare, Kru-Town and Ayikoo-ayikoo placed fourth, fifth and sixth.
All contestants received chop boxes, truncks student mattresses, and school bags, whilst the winner got additional brand new laptop plus an amount of GHC 1,000.00 .
The first and Second runners-up took GHC700.00 and GHC500.00 cash prizes, respectively.
GNA