The Ghana Girls Guide Association (GGGA) will hold its first homecoming ceremony in the country with over 5000 participants expected to attend the event.
The ceremony, which is under the theme: “97 years of Empowerment and Impact – Speak Out!!!â€, will bring together members of the Association from all the ten regions in Ghana, past and present executives and the general public to socialize, network and partake in skills development activities during the event.
The GGGA, a not for profit organization, belongs to the largest voluntary movement, dedicated to girls and young women in the world.
Since its establishment in 1921 in Ghana, the organization has transformed the lives of girls and young women across the country through various capacity building programmes, including skills development, leadership trainings, mentorship programmes and other educational activities.
They are aimed at empowering girls and young women to achieve their fullest potential and to become responsible citizens.
According to the Chief Commissioner of GGGA, Mrs. Zakiya Abdul-Wahab, the Association has over 28, 000 membership across the country and engages many more girls in their skills development programmes at the Association’s training centre in Accra.
She said beyond the event of providing the platform for members to fraternize, it will also encourage other girls to identify with an organization that seeks to promote their interest and at the same time providing them with the opportunity to build their capacities with employable skills.
“We believe that this ceremony will be a great opportunity for the world to know more of our work and more importantly create the opportunity for more young women to join us and take advantage of the skills development opportunities the Association offer†she added.
She further revealed that plans are happening to expand the Association’s current training centre to have increased capacity to accommodate more girls for their skills development programmes.
“Through this event, we hope to unveil our architectural design for the expansion of the Association’s training centre. We therefore appeal to corporate bodies and the donor community to support this great vision of the organization as a collaborative step toward empowerment of girls and young women in the societyâ€, she said.
The event will be preceded by a two-week camping at the Association’s training centre with activities such as hiking, bonfire night and sleeping in outdoor tents.
This will provide an opportunity for all guides of all ages to reminisce and relive camping experience at the centre.
The homecoming, which is the climax of the two-week event, will also be held at the Girl Guides Training Centre at Achimota on October 20, 2018.
Key activities on the day will include craft making (batik, tie and dye, fabric resist dye, sewing, soap/detergent making, Kente weaving, etc.); advocacy on Stop the Violence; pioneering with ropes and wood, Free Being Me (advocacy on body confidence), education on menstrual hygiene and cooking competition.