The Founder and Director of the Passion for Mother and Child Training Centre, Alberta Ekusika Addo, has called for increased support for initiatives that empower teenage and vulnerable mothers, warning that without sustained funding, hundreds of teenage and vulnerable mothers will continue to be trapped in poverty and street life.
She cautioned that the lack of investment in such programmes was forcing many young mothers into street hawking and other precarious livelihoods, undermining their chances of long-term economic independence.
In an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times on challenges confronting skills development centres for teenage mothers in the country, Ms Addo said skills training centres across the country were grappling with severe financial constraints, threatening their ability to operate effectively.
“Most of these centres depend largely on donations from individuals and limited organisational support, which places enormous strain on our work,” she mentioned.
Touching on Passion for Mother and Child Training Centre located at Klagon, near the Breaking Yoke Ministry, she noted that it was established to provide vocational training and life skills to teenage mothers, single mothers and other vulnerable women.
She outlined that as part of their skills training, the centre offered programmes in dressmaking, hairdressing, cosmetology and catering, aimed at equipping beneficiaries with employable skills to become self-reliant.
Ms Addo explained that trainees were often reached through community engagement and referrals, with beneficiaries bringing in others from similar backgrounds.
Despite recording notable successes, including graduates establishing their own businesses and securing employment, the centre continued to face challenges in attracting and retaining trainees.
She attributed this to the preference among many teenage mothers for quick-income activities such as hawking and petty trading.
“We constantly counsel them to understand that the skills they acquire here will sustain them in the long term,” she said.
To ease the burden on trainees, the centre had introduced childcare support, including a crèche, enabling mothers to attend training sessions while their children are safely cared for.
Currently, the centre has nine trainees following its reopening in October last year, with plans to expand operations through a proposed hostel facility to accommodate those from distant communities.
However, inadequate funding and lack of equipment remain major setbacks.
Ms Addo appealed to the public and corporate institutions to support the centre with essential training tools, including sewing machines, catering equipment and hairdressing accessories, as well as financial assistance.
She also called for volunteers to assist in training additional skills to broaden opportunities for beneficiaries.
She further advised teenage girls to prioritise their education and avoid early pregnancy, noting that it often leads to hardship and limited opportunities.
“Focus on your education, but if the unexpected happens, come and learn a skill so you can rebuild your future,” she underlined.
A trainee, 43-year-old Agbedanu Evelyn, who is studying cosmetology at the centre, stated that she enrolled after losing her husband during the June 3 disaster at Circle, which left her a single mother.
She said the training had given her renewed hope and a means to rebuild her life and care for her children.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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