8th March is earmarked to celebrate women across the globe and to speak on issues affecting women.
This year, the Boresah Royal Foundation in Partnership with the US Embassy marked the day in Daboya in the North Gonja district of the Savannah region.
The US Army in Partnership with the Ghana armed forces also joined the Boresah Royal foundation in Daboya to carry out series of activities to commemorate the day.
These included a conference dubbed the Savannah Women’s Conference under the theme "Digital innovation for Gender Equality" a cooking competition and a medical screening at the Daboya Polyclinic.
The Conference brought together over 400 women and girls, Queen mothers and other stakeholders in the district to speak on issues of girl child education, child marriages , teenage pregnancy, witchcraft accusation, Gender based violence as well as menstrual and maternal health issues .
Mr. Simeon Acheampong, Regional Manager of Marie Stopes International, a partner of the event, spoke about the need to find lasting solution to menstrual issues affecting Savannah girls so as tto reduce the incidence of Teenage pregnancies.
The Executive Director of the Boresah Royal Foundation, Queen Boresah Fantevie who doubles as the Nkligiwurche (Queen for Development) of the Savannah region, and the US Embassy’s Champion of Change 2021 (Gender Based Violence) reiterated the need for girls to be educated and kept in school through to tertiary level.
She added that issues of teenage pregnancy, child marriages , maternal and menstrual hygiene and most importantly, issues of abuse and witchcraft accusations would be a thing of the past if all stakeholders such as traditional authority, parents, teachers, girls and the community at large collaborate to find solutions to the challenges.
Hon Safia Mohammed , the Deputy National women’s organizer of the New Patrotic Party who was the guest of honour assured the girls they could climb up the leadership ladder like her if they take their academics seriously and pursue higher education.
Jennifer Green who spoke on behalf of the US Embassy spoke about the commitment of the America government to fostering good bilateral relations with Ghana hence the need to empower women through the Women Peace and Security Initiative (WPS ) of the USARMY, MEDCAP .
Captain Mckenzie Duncan who is the team lead implementing the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Initiative alongside the Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP), was very excited for the opportunity to work alongside advocates, community leaders and entrepreneurs especially the Boresah Royal Foundation and the Ghana Armed Forces.
She opined that “we seek to ensure that at the end of this project, poor menstruation health management (MHM), gender-based violence (GBV), and economic opportunities for the women of Savannah would have taken a positive dive”.
"Our goal is to align our help to empower every young girl in the North Gonja district to thrive for excellence."
About 2000 people were medically screened, dewormed and or given sanitary pads by the US Army Medical Team.
The Savannah Women Development Fund also gave a scholarship of Ghc3000 to a brilliant but needy girl to pursue higher education .The award was presented by the Savannah regional director of education Hajia Katumi Natogmah Atta.
Naada Bilijo Jinapor, the Executive Director of the Naada Bilijo Foundation expressed their willingness to support initiatives that border on empowerment of the Savannah woman hence their partnering the Boresah Royal Foundation for this great initiative.
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