Participants of a two-day Gender Summit held in Salaga, capital of the West Gonja District in the Northern Region, have declared zero tolerance for gender inequality.
As beneficiaries of the Gender Model Family concept initiated by SEND-Ghana and sponsored by the Global Affairs Canada, they recommended that both male and female should be provided equal opportunities in terms of resource allocation and benefits.
The participants said, “We are conscious of our responsibility to practice the acquired knowledge of SEND GHANA’s Gender Model Family programme and have resolved to influence our communities to adopt same to promote gender equity by challenging traditional notions of gender roles and responsibilities.”
“We are committed to fostering sustainable gender equitable food security for the targeted households and are determined to participate and contribute in the realization of equality between women and men, boys and girls in our communities.”
They further disclosed that, “We are realizing that the adoption of GMF is helping us to improve family planning ,reduce work load on girls and wives, increase wives’ access and control over family resources, improved nutrition, husbands and wives are sharing decision making, boys and girls are given similar opportunities especially to education.
Below was the communiqué issued at the end of the two-day summit which brought together relevant stakeholders including traditional authorities, development partners and authorities of the beneficiary district assemblies.
We FOSTERING stakeholders having participated in this Summit do hereby commit to the following;
1. District Assemblies will create opportunities for Gender Model Families to share their experiences at assembly meetings, and incorporate GMF principles in the development and implementation of programs.
2. Traditional leaders agreed to provide platforms for Gender Model Families’ to share their experiences with the public ;
3. The Media agreed to use their platforms to support sensitization on the principles and benefits of the Gender Model Family.
4. Regional Department of Gender committed to target girls of the Gender Model Families under their girl child initiatives.
The first phase of the Gender Model Family concept which is a component of SEND Ghana’s FOSTERING project is being implemented in the East Gonja, Nanumba North Chereponi.
Plans are afoot to up-scale it to cover more districts in the Eastern Corridor of the Northern Region.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/Citifmonline.com/Ghana