She Leads Project impactful in Upper West Region – Acting Project Manager

Madam Joyce Obenewaa Darko, the Acting Project Manager for the She Leads Project, implemented by Plan International Ghana in partnership with Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD Ghana), has said the project has made impactful strides in empowering young girls and challenging negative gender norms in the Upper West Region.

“When we are talking about the impact the She Leads has made, Upper West is one of the regions where our impact is strongly felt,” she said.

She said this in Wa on Monday, October 28, 2024, at a program themed, "Dissemination and Capacity Building on Mentorship Manuals" held by CARD Ghana for She Leads' school club patrons, guidance and counseling coordinators, girl child education coordinators, and community champions of change from the six schools and five communities where the project is being implemented.

Madam Darko said the project has, over the last four years since its inception, made significant progress benefiting girls in six schools and five communities across the region.

Madam Darko explained that the She Leads Project has supported and inspired more girls to take on leadership roles in schools, where they have successfully vied for and won traditionally male-dominated prefectural positions.

She said the project has also contributed to transforming perceptions around gender roles in the communities through the support of male Champions of Change, including chiefs and community leaders, who stood up for empowerment of girls and advocated for gender equality.

“In the Senior High Schools, we’ve had girls take up male-dominated leadership positions. We’ve had great champions of change who are consist of chiefs, elders, religious leaders, transforming negative gender norms within the communities,” she noted.

As the five-year project is projected to fold up next year, Madam Darko said Plan International Ghana intends to strengthen the existing structures set up by building the capacities of patrons, coordinators and school clubs to be able to continue the impact of the project.

Speaking about the mentorship manuals to be used by the She Leads School Clubs, Madam Darko said they contain materials on topics such as confidence building, assertiveness, self-awareness, and developing a positive self-image, which she said would help the girls grow confident and capable leaders.

She noted that the manuals, under the supervision of club patrons and coordinators, would enable the girls to engage effectively during their club meetings and prepare them for future leadership roles.

Mr. Abudu Fuseini, the Guidance and Counseling Coordinator at Islamic Senior High School, Wa, advocated for expanding club membership to allow more girls to benefit from the project.

He said that increasing the number of students involved in She Leads clubs would deepen the impact of the initiative, especially in school environments where peer influence is significant.

On her part, the Acting Executive Director of CARD Ghana, Madam Ernestina Biney, acknowledged the calls for expanded club membership and noted that her outfit would consider increasing membership through specific enrollment criteria.

She explained that setting criteria would ensure that those who join the She Leads clubs are committed to the initiative’s goals and values, thereby maintaining the quality of engagement within the clubs.

The She Leads Project is a five-year aimed at increasing the sustained influence of girls and young women on decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in formal and informal institutions.