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NGO empowers 35 Kpong street hawkers with fashion and cosmetology training

Thinking Minds Ghana, through its MAGG Project, has provided 35 young women, predominantly street hawkers, with diverse employable skills at Kpong in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern region.

Date Created : 9/20/2023 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Kamal Ahmed/ Ghanadistricts.com

Dedicated to helping underserved areas, Thinking Minds Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, is a centre for social innovation and business, providing specialised TVET programmes and business support interventions for women-led businesses, artisanal businesses, and farmers in rural Ghana.

The organisation develops innovations in education and rural business development that create sustainable communities and improve livelihoods through practical skills training, economic empowerment, advocacy, and support initiatives.

After nine months of rigorous training and a three-month internship, the trainees received certificates in fashion and cosmetology, which covered makeup and hair styling, during a pass-out ceremony.

Mr. Seth Panyin Boamah, Executive Director of Thinking Minds Ghana, said it was crucial to focus on young women who were most in danger of exploitation and risked their lives every day on the streets to make ends meet.

He explained that the project's goal was to create respectable occupations to lessen the social vices connected to street hawking, human trafficking, sexual assault, and violations of human rights.

Mr. Samuel Kakra Boamah, Associate Director of Thinking Minds Ghana, said a co-working space would be initiated as part of the exit strategy for project beneficiaries.

"For newly graduated craftsmen, the location will offer cheap studio and working space with flexible terms, long-term leases, and even drop-in or weekly prices," he added.

In an interview, Ms. Yakubu Ayisha, one of the beneficiaries, who studied fashion design, expressed her joy at being a project beneficiary and said her desire to become one of the top fashion designers in the world would be fulfilled one day.

Mr. Simon Kweku Tetteh, Municipal Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo, pledged to provide the organisers with the support required to scale up the training to cover many other disadvantaged people in the municipality.

He expressed optimism that the organisation’s efforts to combat youth unemployment in the Kpong area would greatly contribute to making the community an industrial hub.

Mr. Tetteh urged corporate entities to support the efforts of non-governmental organisations to address the challenges of the youth.