Many a time, women empowerment is geared towards educating girls alone. However,
empowering boys to grow into responsible men is equally important to achieve gender equality.
On the 21st of April, 2016 our maiden edition of Mmaasima took off at Ashesi University. The
purpose of the event was to educate stakeholders on their role in empowering women and girls.
Stakeholders included parents, teachers and community leaders. Attending the program were
Junior High School boys from Berekuso L/A, girls and their parents.
Speaking at the event, Phyllis Kuenyehia the director of events for The North American Women
Association of Ghana (NAWA) said “as ladies we need to be strong and take education very
seriously. No one can stop us unless we stop ourselves”. She encouraged girls to work hard and
focus on school. Also, we were honored to have Gifty Mensah the Co- Founder and Executive
Director of Global Alliance for Development Foundation (Gadef) and the Executive Director for
Phinklife Institute speak to all present. Her message was mainly to the boys. She asked that the
boys start assisting their sisters at home especially with house chores and avoid disrespecting
them. Ms. Gifty also cautioned parents to train their male and female children equally so they
grow to become responsible adults.
The program ended with a drama on training up a child. The drama educated parents on the
required steps parents ought to take in training their children at home so they do not depart from
it when they grow up.
