Movement of Rural Entrepreneurial Women (MORE- WOMEN), a women and youth-focused Organization has launched a livelihood empowerment project entitled; “Strengthening Livelihood Opportunities for Vulnerable Populations through Support to Women and youth” in Manyoro, a community under the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region.
The project aims to equip women and youth with innovative skills, knowledge, resources, and support to achieve sustainable livelihoods.
The project is part of the “Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in the Atlantic Corridor,” a broader initiative by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded by Governments of Denmark, Australia, Norway and Germany. UNDP has been implementing the project with the Upper East Regional Peace Council since 2023.
This component aims to address the drivers of radicalization leading to violent extremism by enhancing the socio-economic livelihoods of women and youth. By focusing on unemployment and other key drivers, we aim to strengthen community resilience against such threats.
UNDP has been implementing this initiative with the Upper East Regional Peace Council since 2023.
Addressing community members in Manyoro, the Program Manager of the MORE Women project, Sixtus Akanzinge Nsoh, indicated that the project is expected to improve the socio-economic resilience of youth and vulnerable populations in the Manyoro community.
He said, “The project’s objective is clear: to improve the socio-economic resilience of at-risk youth and vulnerable populations in the Manyoro community. We will achieve this by providing employment and livelihood support opportunities, including holistic skills-building, mentorship, and leadership initiatives.”
“Over the next five (5) months, we will be supporting 108 direct and over 1,000 indirect beneficiaries in various ways, including: Enhancing income generation activities through farm inputs (9 farmers), provision of equipment for hairdressers (4), livestock/small ruminants (20), and working tools (5 welders and 10 weavers), and supporting 2 VSLA groups with Seed Fund, providing comprehensive business training, financial literacy, and marketing support, facilitating access to credit and business registration, organizing mentorship and coaching workshops designed to promote self-awareness, social bonding, and the diversification of social networks.”
Mr. Nsoh called on the chiefs and opinion leaders to support the project to realize its potential.
David Angaamba, who spoke on behalf of the Upper East Regional Peace Council, admonished community members to help security agencies by sharing information with them to rapidly respond to issues that threaten peace in the community.
The Municipal Chief Executive of Kassena Nankana, Joseph Adongo, expressed gratitude to UNDP and MORE Women for partnering with the government to provide livelihoods for vulnerable women and youth groups in the community. Mr. Adongo, however, charged beneficiaries of the project to put the resources to good use to help them maintain a good standard of living.
The Chief of Manyoro traditional area, Mr. Atudipare Clement, expressed his excitement about MORE Women and UNDP choosing his community to implement this livelihood empowerment project. Mr. Atudipare has promised to take special interest in supervising beneficiaries of the project to ensure that its potential is fully realized.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHz|Samuel Adagom|Bolgatanga|
