Graduate of SWIDA – Ghana’s 2022 Female Leadership and Mentorship Academy, Wuntima Avoka, has been calling for more attention to be paid to young women living with HIV/ AIDS as that will serve more purpose in the fight against the virus and disease, especially relating to infection of young people.
The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Ghana), has been mentoring and empowering young people through its platform, the Female Leadership and Mentorship Academy.
Miss Wuntima was speaking at an event at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, to mark this year’s World AIDS Day, in which SWIDA-Ghana was a partner.
She called on the public to increase efforts at “grooming the next generation of young activists who will be sensitive to the plight of persons living with HIV/AIDS”.
Other KASA advocates and graduates of the mentorship platform joined Miss Wuntima in the commemoration.
The second cohort from SWIDA-Ghana’s Female Leadership Mentorship Academy, has graduated in Tamale. The Female Leadership Mentorship Academy is a female empowerment project of the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, in which it targets young women especially in the Universities in the northern region.
The graduates were given certificates of participation and recognition during the graduation ceremony, which was held in the auditorium of the Tamale Technical University.
The Program lead, Miss Abdul Samed Khadija, said the project was aimed at helping young women realize their potential, as it trains them to become responsible leaders.
Speaking at the ceremony, the executive director for Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Gh), Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, praised the young women for accepting the challenge to rise to leadership positions in their society.
She urged them to serve as good examples for other women when they have the opportunity to serve, so that the next generation would have a large number of women at the decision-making tables.
The program brings together women who have succeeded in their professions to mentor young women on leadership and other important soft skills. The three-month program provides free training in areas such as communication, career development, leadership etc.
The Female Leadership Mentorship Academy is a female empowerment project initiated by the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, in partnership with Plan International Ghana and Global Affairs Canada.
SWIDA GH was invited as a development partner to the Savannah Region for the Regional Extension Linkage Committee (RELC) regional planning sessions.
SWIDA-Gh made a presentation on our interventions in the various districts in the region. Besides our presentation, there were presentations from the Damongo Agriculture College, the Research Coordinator from CSIR/SARI, Fishery Commission, and the Department of Agriculture, Savannah Region.
The Executive Director for the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Gh), Hajia Alimah Sagito-Saeed presented the progress report on the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Nutrition Project to official from the World Food Programme.
The presentation was aimed at briefing the officials of the World Food Programme about the progress of work on the project, as well as what is left to be implemented.
Under the Sustainable Livelihoods and Nutrition project, SWIDA-Gh has trained bee technicians in 40 communities in the Karaga district. These technicians have been supporting women who have been trained in beekeeping.
As part of the innovation from the learning and to keep the hives and sustain the project, concrete beehives have been constructed and distributed to bee centers within the communities.
The goal of the project which is being supported by the World Food Programme, is for every woman to own a beehive which supports her economically.
The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Gh) has graduated 250 Female Leadership Mentorship through its academy in Tamale, as part of capacity building aimed at empowering girls.
The graduation ceremony held in Tamale, was part of the SWIDA-Gh’s Flagship Leadership initiative under the Women’s Voice & Leadership (WVL) Project supported by Plan International Ghana and the Global Affairs Canada.
Ms Khadijah Abudui-Samed, WVL Project Lead said the project is aimed at enhancing the leadership capacity of girls and women.
She said the first edition was ran in 2021 in collaboration with the University for Development Studies (UDS) Women Commission’s Office and the Girl Child International (USA), from which 100 mentees were graduated after three months of intensive mentorship from seasoned mentors.
She noted that this year’s graduate mentees span from six tertiary educational campuses in Ghana with four months intensive mentorship.
Mrs. Hajia Alima Sagito Saeed, the Executive Director of SWIDA-Gh advised the graduates to focus on teamwork and be motivated by challenges.
She added that they should be female leaders in positions of influence and serve as role models to other girls in their communities.
Mr. Eric Ayaba, the Northern Sector Manager of Plan International Ghana urged the graduates to be bold and innovative in their activities.
He advised them to provide a different set of skills and imaginative perspectives starting from their institutions.
The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, Ghana (SWIDA – Gh) has celebrated the International Day for the Girl Child with school girls in Damankunyili, a rural community in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern region.
Overwhelming school children and teachers from the Damankunyili R/C Junior High school joined SWIDA – Gh in the celebration where the Communications and Gender Officer at SWIDA – Gh, Khadijatu Abdul-Samed called for the participation of boys in household chores to reduce the workload on the girl child at home and making her regular and punctual in school, this according to Khadijatu, will not only create time for the girl child to study but such practice will make the boy child gender conscious while growing up into leadership or husband in the future.
She underscored the need for girls to be assertive and confident in themselves and wherever they find themselves since it is a fundamental trait when it comes to leadership, adding that, leadership is not meant for only the male gender but for girls as well.
Therefore, for girls to be able to rise to leadership positions in the future they must first develop assertiveness and confidence while they take up leadership positions in their schools. “We want to advise these girls that within the school environment they should not see themselves as timid, they should see themselves as capable of going for various leadership positions.” Khadijata Abdul-Samed added.
Ayisha Mahama is the health prefect for Damankunyili JHS, who expressed gratitude to SWIDA – Gh and their partners for coming to sensitize her and her fellow girls on a special day like the International Day of the Girl Child.
Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.
The continuous investment by SWIDA – Gh and partners in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.
Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations.
The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
This comes after UN member states met in 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, the countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not only women but girls.
The Beijing Declaration is the first to specifically call out girls’ rights.
Executive Director for SWIDA – Gh, Hajia Alima Sagito – Saeed, is a member of the Regional Ideation Team for the 2022 Kosmos Innovation Centre, UDS Agritech Challenge Classic.
She was judge at the first Classic pitch for 24 new Agritech businesses by the students.
Key Innovations to mention included
1. Use of Plantation leaves for reusable sanitary pads and paper
Local development partner, Sacks Concept presented a citation in honour of Executive Director of SWIDA – Gh, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed for supporting youth businesses.
swidagh.org 