KFHI and KOICA gives Girls hope to survive; story of rural girls seeking livelihood

More than 100 girls from three communities in the Bongo district of the Upper East Region who have dropped out from school and Senior High School graduates have been rescued into a lifetime of Vocational training for a living and a possible continuing their education after their Vocational training.

The Dream of these rural girls became a reality when the only ultra Modern Vocational School was commissioned in Zorko to train and mentor dropped out school girls and SHS graduates in smoke weaving, dress making, fabric weaving, value added basket weaving, marketing techniques and theoretical models of the training.

Official beneficiary Communities are Boko, Balungu and Zorko but the training school is also open for other girls in the Bongo District.

Majority of these girls who have been enrolled have tried seeking greener pastures elsewhere in southern Ghana but were not successful whiles others came back home with children out of been pregnant by unknown men. Few of the girls too have completed Senior High School with good grades but find it difficult to get into the tertiary institutions.

The Vocational training School established by KOICA and the Korea Food for the Hungry International ( KFHI) is expected to reduce girls migration to the south for unavailable jobs and to also promote skilled training among girls.



A representative of KFHI, Goo Seung Hae said: "This project seems to not only support the vulnerable but also sets a chance for creative minds to excel in both skills and business strategies in the future"

He continued: "We aimed for women to acquire Vocational and business skills through two years of training to generate income, which can be achieved through cooperation and support from their families and communities."

KFHI is actively working and serving people in physical and spiritual hunger, grounded on Christian values. In 1989, Dr. Larry Ward who had a Dream of thousands of people dying of famine and diseases, opened a new chapter with the founding of KFHI as the first international relief and development NGO in Korea.

The paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional area, Naba Baba Salifu Alemyaruum was full of joy and happiness on the establishment of the Vocational training School in his area. Naba Salifu Alemyaruum said the school has come at the time when many girls are being deceived by men and are been impregnated leading to school drop out while others are migrating outside the traditional area due to poverty at home. He thus encouraged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and make their families proud.

A representative from KOICA, Miss Oh Eun -Soo admonished the students and management of the training school to embibe the culture of maintenance to ensure the sustainability of the training programs.

"We started this project because women in these areas do not have opportunities for sewing facilities especially in the Bongo District. Is also an opportunity for the beneficiaries to increase household income. We need full participation of support from the communities and government to achieve the goals for this training center. We also expect support in the area of maintenance for sustainability."

The Bongo District Coordinating Director, Alhaji Abilla Mohammed who represented the Assembly, was full of praise and appreciation to KFHI and KOICA for the establishment of the Vocational training school. Alhaji Abilla said the establishment of the school is in line with the Assembly's developmental roadmap for the District and he urged users of the facility to make maintenance a priority.

Some of the beneficiary girls expressed their joy and appreciation to be part of the pioneers of the training center.

"Am much grateful for this opportunity, after SHS, they wasn't any work and my results are there but no tertiary institution is admitting me after several attempts so when this opportunity came through, I decided to take part and am ready to put all my best so I can graduate successfully and also train more girls in my situation," Jennifer Tampuri stated.

Two other beneficiaries also expressed their joy of being part of the training.

"We are happy we have been given this opportunity, I completed SHS from Islamic girls SHS but now I don't have any work to do. I am married and my husband took us working because of that, sometimes we have some issues with us and am happy now that I have been given this work so that I can help myself and to also help my husband," Hamdia Salifu expressed her happiness.

"After I finished SHS, I didn't have anywhere to go but am fortunate KFHI and KOICA are here to make my dream come to reality through this training." Doris Amoah said.

The project which is expected to train different batches of girls every two years, will go a long way in improving the income of many women in the Bongo District as well as boosting the local economy through local and international trade of the finished product from the beneficiaries.