Thirty-eight young girls in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region have been trained in handiwork to enable them start businesses to improve upon livelihoods.

The beneficiaries who were trained in dressmaking, batik, tie and dye, soap making and beads making, were also given sewing machines, cash and other logistical support them to start their various small businesses.

They were also presented with certificates by the National Vocational Technical Institute (NVTI).

The training, on the theme: "Mitigating COVID-19, Impact Through Employable Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Development", was facilitated by the Our Lady of Mercy Community Services (OLAM), a Non-Governmental Organization.

It was sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, Osiwa-Senegal, VASTENACTIE-Belgium and Plan International Ghana's Women Voice Leadership project with funding support from the Global Affairs Canada.

At a short ceremony in Navrongo, Mr Emmanuel Atiiga, the Executive Director of OLAM, explained that the mission of the organization was to empower underprivileged communities and individuals especially women, children, persons with disabilities and the youth.

"We do this through Literacy and non-formal education, employable skills training, ICT, Human rights campaigns and advocacy, workshops and seminars, entrepreneurship development, health issues and environmental concerns", he stressed.

He disclosed that his outfit had been providing skills training to the youth with start-up support over the years and almost 900 beneficiaries had passed through the institution and many were working and employing others.

The organization, the Executive Director said, had expanded its activities to include radio programming in partnership with the Nabiina Community Radio on women and child rights advocacy and education, adolescent reproductive health rights education and natural resource management.

It also established counselling centers to offer counselling services to the adolescent and their parents at Navrongo and Paga.

Mrs Felicia Ajongba, the Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), on behalf of the beneficiaries commended the NGO for complementing the government's efforts at job creation and urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity to improve upon their livelihoods.