News
‘Dorcas Project’ receives skills training support
Eleven widows who belonged to a group known as “The Dorcas Project” from the Lapaz District of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, have received skills training in bread baking, pastries, soap and beads preparation in Accra.
The skills training which was held at the River Rose School, Tantra Hill, Accra, was aimed at empowering the beneficiaries, who belonged to the “The Dorcas Project” to become economically independent, concentrate on caring for their children, and stop thinking about the loss of their husbands.
Rev Mrs Nyuieme Adiepena, the National Women’s Programme Officer of the West Volta Women’s Fellowship (WVWF), who was In- charge of the programme, said in an interview with The Spectator that the training was facilitated by the All African Conference of Churches( AACC), Widows Fund .
She said the AACC was glad to sponsor the ” The Dorcas Project”, having considered the economic hardship members were going through.
Rev Adiepena said the sponsorship package included the equipment the trainees would work with, to eradicate the difficulty of mobilising capital to start on their own.
She was of the hope that the beneficiaries would take keen interest in the various skills they were taught and make maximum benefits out of them.
Rev Adiepena lauded the initiative of the stakeholders of ” The Dorcas Project,” adding that it would ease the burden of the beneficiaries.
The President of the West Volta Women’s Fellowship, Presbyter Mrs Naomi Jiagge, described the training as good since it would ease the burden of the women involved and assured that the fellowship would continue to pray for their success.
Ms Doris Ofori, one of the trainees said she and some of her colleagues had started preparing liquid soap for sale.
She intimated that they had planned to come together to bake bread for sale at affordable prices to school children when school re-opens, adding that they remained grateful to the facilitators of the programme.
History
“The Dorcas Project” was established in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the Lapaz District of Accra by a group of stakeholders, led by Rev (Mrs) Davida Matti- Atakpah in June 2019.
It commenced with 10 widows and four widowers, with the aim of helping them to ease emotional and psychological pains endured , and stigmatisation they encountered as a result of some socio- cultural practices.
Rev Matti-Atakpah said she later discovered that some of them needed financial support to enable them to cater for their families and perform other social duties, hence the need to provide them with employable skills.
She was grateful to Rev Adiepena through whose initiative the group had acquired the support from the (AACC) Widow’s Fund .
By GhanaianTimes
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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