Ghana Girls Empowerment Project
The Girls Empowerment Club started on the Ghana North District as a response to the many injustices that female children face in the country. The District Superintendent, Rev. Frank Mills, and a few girls began to dream together and eventually put the dream into action through the creation of the club. The project was initially named the “Girls Justice Club ” and went through several name changes before it was finally called the “Girls empowerment Club.” When the club started in 2009, it had 96 members. Today, the project has spread to the Midland and Coastal districts of Ghana and has 2,100 members.
The girls who participate are between the ages of 11 and 30 years old, with some older women who provide mentorship. They have a female leadership team that helps to manage the affairs of the club. The club has helped to bring together young girls from different denominations and faith backgrounds to periodically meet and discuss the different issues they face as African girls. They pray together and work to find solutions to their challenges.
The club currently has two projects: a piggery and goat farm to support the girls and the ministry. The club has been able to bless and support members with sewing machines, goats, pigs, chickens and school supplies. In some cases, the club has helped girls to start small scale businesses.
One of the women who participated mentioned how she wished to become a nurse but faced much opposition. She was forced to drop out of school because her parents could not afford to send her to school alongside her 6 brothers. Her brothers were sent to school while she was made to stay at home and work on the farm to support the family.
When she joined the club, she was constantly encouraged and reminded that girls can achieve their dreams. She received a pair of pigs from the club as a gift. She took good care of the pigs and after 5 months, the female pig became pregnant and had 15 piglets, leaving her with 17 pigs. Three months later, she sold a few of the mature pigs and was able to enrol in a school! She continued to breed piglets and used the money to pay for her school fees.
Today, she is a registered nurse serving in one of the hospitals in her community. She also helps to support the needs of other girls in the Girls Empowerment Club and other needy girls in her community. She ended up joining the Church of the Nazarene because she fell in love with the teaching, counselling, education and spiritual formation that she had from the club.
The club currently has 56 young and vulnerable girls on the waiting list. They need to be helped with either goats, chickens, pigs, sewing machines, school stationary needs or tuition fees to be able to return to school. Please keep the Girls Empowerment Club and its leaders in your prayers.
