As the world celebrates women in the month of March, an opportunity is presented to take a critical look at equality and opportunities for women worldwide. International Women’s Day this year carries the theme “ Choose to challenge ” , which is appropriate given the challenging circumstances covid-19 has presented. The theme further expounds that a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.

The question then is, in what ways do the challenges emanating from a pandemic stricken world lead to opportunities of change? In seeking an answer to this question, Young At Heart Ghana, a social enterprise championing accessible education through ed-tech solutions , launched its flagship project – SKILLS FOR HER – A remote learning vocational and business training program.

In the midst of challenges associated with in-person interactions in a pandemic stricken world, a new era of remote collaboration, facilitated by technology has been birthed. But what relief does that bring to women?

In many contexts the female youth unemployment rate has risen over the past 13 years and is 3 points above their male counterparts (ILOSTAT, 2018). Technical and Vocational skills have been lauded as the go to, giving its potential for providing opportunities for self-employment and access to a ready market.

However, in many developing contexts, the costs associated with technical and vocational skill acquisition is often a big challenge. This challenge coupled with the lack of access to such training in remote communities, leads to further marginalizing women in vulnerable communities.

SKILLS FOR HER is therefore a paradigm shifting program which champions connecting young women to a virtual Technical and Vocational Skills Training opportunity. Young women in low-income communities signed up for the program are given access to digital tools and resource library. Through these resources they connect to the training platform and mentors  guided by one on site facilitator. Participants in urban contexts with access to smartphones connect directly to the platform and training asynchronously.

Phase 1 has already seen impressive results as close to 60 participants received training in ‘Beadmaking’ ,‘Snacks 101’, ’Business and SoftSkills’ and ‘Social Media Marketing’. The call for applications attracted all categories of young women, ranging from recent high school graduates to women who wanted to add on to their skill sets to expand their vocational business.

Over the course of 9 months some participants have successfully launched and continue to develop their businesses, using skills acquired through Skills For Her. The latest addition to this trend of successes is Victoria Sem who has explored the beadmaking skills she acquired to launch a new brandline for bead jewelry and bead infused accessories at Krysvyc Fashions.

Victoria’s Comments:

“I took the opportunity to add up my skills when Young at Heart advertised the Skills For Her program . A lot was experienced during this program. I learnt a new skill…never knew paper can be used for beads. I learned how to prepare for an elevator pitch for my business. Got to know what really goes into branding. Cost analysis for specific products, importance of consistent social media engagement as a tool of marketing just to mention a few.”

Below are some of Victoria’s creations at Krysvyc Fashions!

Contact her for your orders now!

Phase 2 of Skills For Her is set to launch at the end of March. We are looking to increase training areas and the numbers of participants reached. This project is supported by World Connect, an organization which has supported women empowerment projects across many developing contexts. It is also supported by the Mandela Washington Fellowship Association of Ghana, members of which have served as mentors and facilitators for this program.