Parents and guardians have been urged to help their daughters build self confidence skills to enable them effectively contribute meaningfully to their families and the nation in the near future.
“Grooming a girl to be independent and bold in our time is very necessary. A girl who is confident now will have great opportunities in future so let us make sure we do not let the girl child miss any opportunity to be great.”
The administrator of Leading Ladies Network (LLN), a girls empowerment NGO, Mrs Felicia Mensah made the assertion at the opening of a four day Girls Governance Camp 2022 at the Anagkazo Bible and Ministry Training College Mampong, Eastern Region.
The programme which brought together more than 90 girls selected from schools within the Ga North Municipality, Accra, sought to take the girls through leadership skills training, introduction to available scholarship opportunities, making good career choices and also teach them to be enterpreneurially minded among other useful mentorship sessions.
According to Mrs Mensah, it was very important for families to seek the opinion of girls in every decision to be made for the wellbeing of the family, saying allowing that, would also contribute to the building of confidence in young girls and making them act responsibly.
She bemoaned that when there was a parental break in the family, it affected children, especially the young girls more, as some do not know how to deal with the situation and end up indulging in unacceptable behaviours likes sexual immorality, which leads to teenage pregnancy.
Touching on the need to end sexual violence against girls, she stressed that teachers and all caregivers must teach young girls the signs to look out for so that they could escape when they sensed danger.
Explaining, she said girls must also endeavour to open up to their parents or guardians about any unpleasant situation they found themselves in or any issue bothering them, instead of keeping it to themselves.
This, she said boiled down to confidence, that was why it was necessary for parents to find other ways of punishing or advising their adolescent daughters instead of always reprimanding them.
“As parents, we must always make sure our girls are closer to us, let us teach them how to behave rightly without using abusive words on them or beating them at the least provocation so that they can easily come to us when they are in a dilemma or when they sense trouble.”
“Organisations like Leading Ladies Network are doing so much but when familes and communities join forces together for the sake of the girl child, much more will be achieved,” she advised.
Mrs Mensah further advised all young girls to trust themselves, be hardworking and choose confidence while serving their families and communities because “it is in service that you can find your voice and develop yourself.”
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
