Beneficiaries appeal for extension of Scholarship Programme

Bolgatanga, Aug. 14, GNA - Beneficiaries of the Ambassador Girls Scholarship Programme (AGSP), at the weekend, appealed to the United States Government to extend the seven year Scholarship Programme, which ends this year.

Since the inception of the AGSP, over 2,000 orphans and needy girls from poor homes had benefited from the programme in the Upper East and Northern Regions.

The beneficiaries, in each academic year, are given material support, including foodstuffs, books, pencils, mathematical sets, text and exercise books , foot wears and bicycles, among others, to help keep them in school.

Beneficiaries like Ms Georgina Adongo Atibire, a Social Science Student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Ms Elizabeth Awewegu, also a Social Science Student of the University of Development Studies, as well as others, were of the view that the withdrawal of the programme would undermine the education of girls in the area.

The students made this known to the GNA at a trainer of trainee's workshop on Mentorship, another component of the AGSP, organized by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC).

The Implementers of the Scholarship programme stressed that majority of the girls would become school drop outs if the programme is withdrawn since most of them were either orphans or had single parents.

Ms Georgina Adongo Atibire, on her part, said but for the scholarship package, she would have dropped out of school since she is being cared for by her grand mother.

“At a point in time, I nearly stop schooling because I had no books, school uniform and food, but when ISODEC started the Programme I was relieved and this has made me what I am now”.

Ms Elizabeth Awewegu said she used to pick shea nuts as a job and through the proceeds, buy some of her education materials to support her education.

She said her parents were dead, but with the intervention of the programme she was able to complete her basic school and Senior High School and the University.

The Regional Manager of ISODEC, Mr Jonathan Adabre stated that one of the major objectives of the Programme was to help address material barriers of girls education and to mentor girls.

Mr Adabre noted that the AGSP, which was being implemented in the Bongo, Bawku Municipal, Garu Tempani, in the Upper East Region, and West Mamprusi, in the Northern Region, has chalked tremendous successes, with majority of the beneficiaries being in universities and training colleges.

He said the project, which started in 2004 till 2011, targeted Primary and Junior High Schools in the beneficiaries Districts, adding that, female teachers were also trained to mentor schools girls.

“This has gone a long way to increase the spirit of volunteerism, with the organization of extra and holiday classes, as well as mentoring of peers”

Mr Adabre said with the programme coming to an end, there was the need for District Assemblies to design scholarships that would specifically target the vulnerable girls for support to keep them in schools.

“Though Government is supporting education, it is not enough and does not reach every body. There is therefore the need to scale up the support to cover the most vulnerable in the communities”

He called on the World Food Programme to provide ration packages to the most deprived and the vulnerable girls in the communities and urged Government to operationalise the Livelihood Empowerment Programme Against Poverty (LEAP) to target mothers with vulnerable children and the girl child.

“AGSP facilitators should continue to provide their invaluable contribution to mentor the girls”

Participants at the two day workshop were taken through topics including Gender and Girls rights, Leaders and Leadership and Coping with Stress, among others.

GNA