Pamela 'Bridgewater Project' on course

Published in the Daily Graphic on 5/01/2010, pg 17

Story: Matilda Attram
THE ‘Pamela Bridgewater Children’s Home Village Project’ established by the former United States Ambassador to Ghana, Pamela Bridgewater in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, the Kunata International Organisation, to assist female porters (kayayei) in on course.
Under the project dubbed the, a school complex is to be set up in the Northern Region to train young girls to enable them earn a living.
The 10-year project commenced in 2008 with the aim of serving the needs of needy persons in society, especially, kayayei. It also seeks to support girl child education in the northern part of the country.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Project Director, Mr Yahaya Alhassan, stated that while serving her four-year term as the US Ambassador to Ghana, Pamela Bridgewater had the desire to promote girl child education.
“In honouring the legacy she left behind, the Kunata Voluntary Organisation had the aim of fulfilling the dreams of our young girls”, he said.
He said the project was to lead a national crusade to assist young girls who risked their lives on the streets of urban areas to earn a living.
Mr Alhassan stated that the condition of ‘kayayei’ in the cities was disturbing which gave rise to the establishment of the project to help curb the phenomenon.
“It is sad to see most of our sisters sleeping on the streets of Accra and other areas, risking their lives for a living”, he stated.
According to Mr Alhassan more than 500 girls had already benefited from the project and out of the number, five were expected to be trained in beauty therapy by the FC Beauty Clinic adding that “We also organise programmes such as free health services and counselling among others to educate these girls on the dangers of migration”.
He said the organisation had already visited some governmental agencies including the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Co-ordinating Council of the Greater Accra Region and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise awareness on the phenomenon.
The Assistant Project Director of the organisation, Mr Alhassan Abdallah Musah, pointed out that the problem of young girls moving from the north to the south was due to lack of employment opportunities in the area.
He said the issue of ‘kayayei’ in the country was a problem with rural-urban migration from the north to the south involving young men and women motivated by the need of items in setting up a home.
He mentioned lack of funds and the lack of recognition of the initiators of the project as the major challenges facing the organisation in achieving its aim.
Mr Musah called on Members of Parliament (MPs), District Chief Executives (DCEs), and Chiefs of the three northern regions to engage the youth in community planning and building.
He also appealed to the government and other organisations to support the project to change the plight of ‘kayayei’ in the country.