How Far Have We Come On The She Leads Project?
Background
Following communications between the Office and Partners, Erudite Women’s Empowerment Foundation welcomed one of their sponsors and contractor on the She Leads Project to the office in Asante Akim Central – Konongo On Monday, 19th February, 2024.
The partners expressed intentions to pay a monitoring visit to the girls and young women (GYW), Champions of Change and Male Champions as well as Stakeholders and institutions we have collaborated with in our five selected project communities in Asante Akim North Municipal
This was to give them a first-hand experience of the project achievements and impact on the beneficiary communities, and to enable them assess the challenges the project has encountered while noting areas that need improvement, as the She Leads Project nears completion.
The visiting team comprised of a representative from DCI, Netherlands and DCI, Ghana-Kumasi).
Visit to Girls and Young Women (GYW)
The team assessed the office’s general administrative operations and approach to organizing activities on the project. They sought to understand some challenges that we faced as an organization during implementation and our proposed solution to the identified setbacks.
The staff from EWEF joined the team to begin the field engagement. Engagements with GYW, being engaged on the project, took the form of a focused group discussion, in Agogo. They were ready to share their motivation for taking part in the project, their experiences with the project so far, and the impact the project had had on their personal growth and development.
GYW disclosed how their self- confidence and agency had been built. They also highlighted the opportunities they have accessed through the She Leads Project. GYW expressed their joy in being part of the individuals to benefit from the project.
The GYW were asked by our sponsors to share their challenges on the project, to which they responded that, the project should facilitate more international and intercultural exchange-learning to further increase the cultural sensitivity of girls.
They also emphasized on the financial and economic difficulty that exists and suggested that, the project designs economic empowerment activities to build the economic capacity of girls and young women.
Visit to Stakeholders and Institutions
The monitoring team visited the office of the Municipal Assembly, Ghana Education Service, and a female traditional leader in Juansa in Asante Akim North.
Discussions with stakeholders and institutions revealed that the She Leads project had had a great positive impact on the girls in the Municipality. They shared their excitement for being key partners on the project and assured the team of their continuous support towards the development girls and young women even after the project has ended.
Observations
The team noted that, girls and young women in the Asante Akim North who are participating in the She Leads project, now have increased confidence levels and have begun taking up leadership positions in their schools and the community. GYW have gained great interest in self-development and are improving upon themselves educationally and economically.
Conclusion
Evidences of the impact that the She Leads Project has had on the GYW, stakeholders, and the community in terms of changing negative perceptions that surrounds female involvement in leadership, and meaningful participation in decision-making cannot be overlooked. The exercise has exposed us to the massive change that has taken place over the period and served a notice on the areas that need amends as well.
Going Forward
Erudite looks forward to further strengthening the capacities of our GYW to take up initiative, whiles capitalizing on the capacities built so far to extend the impact to other girls and young women in their Institutions and Communities.
EWEF, with the She Leads Project, is committed to ensuring that the capacities of GYW are built, to contribute to girls who are better prepared for leadership opportunities both locally and internationally.
