Over 2,500 unemployed women in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District of the Central Region have enrolled in a skilled training program with startup capital to start their own business.

The initiative was laid down by the Pennyman Foundation, a non-governmental organisation whose aim is to empower women and vulnerable people in our communities in the country.

The foundation provided each woman with a start-up capital of five thousand cedis to establish their own business, thereby enabling them to operate independently.

Speaking to Ghone News Yaw Boagyan on behalf of the founder and leader of the Pennyman Foundation, Mr. Eric Kwesi Taylor,Mr. Kwesi Mense said, it is one of the foundation’s priorities to assist women in the communities to get self-employed.

He said the money is being given to these women for free without any interest.

The Foundation will fly these beneficiaries to Togo and other neighboring countries to buy their goods to come and sell.

It is the beneficiaries who wish to decide on what they want to sell with the assistant of the organisation.

According to him,over 80 per cent of women in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District are unemployed,a situation which is very worrying and something immediately must be done.

The unemployment situation is huge in the Central Region, of which Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District is included.

Kwesi Mense, the director of the women’s empowerment program organised by the Pennyman Foundation, stressed that it is the foundation’s priority to support all women in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District in skilled training with startup capital in the next five years.

They want unemployment among women to reduce drastically in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District.

The program has come to stay and will extend a hand to support vulnerable people also in the district.

Apart from this initiative, the foundation has also been supported by institutions in and around the district.

Numerous donations have also been made to various institutions such as health sectors, education, security agencies, and many institutions in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District.

Going forward, more policies and initiatives will be laid down by the Foundation to support more people in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District.

He said it is their wish to have over 15,000 women with their own businesses in the Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa District.

The program is for all and not discriminatory.

Meanwhile, some of the beneficiaries also show their appreciation to the leader Mr. Eric Kwesi Taylor for the initiative.

They promised to make good use of the capital and make sure there is a profit.

According to them, they don’t expect that such an initiative will be laid down for them to support unemployed women in the district.

They further appealed to the government to also lay down policies that will support women and vulnerable people in the deprived communities to earn a living without depending on others.

They also appealed to the financial institutions to reduce the interest rates on the loans being given to them.

Source : Yaw Boagyan