GFD Holds Capacity-Building Workshops in Kumasi for Girls and Women with Disabilities

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) has organised a 2-days capacity building workshop for women and girls with disabilities in Kumasi. The workshop is part of a series of activities outlined for implementation under the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) programme in collaboration with the United Nations in Ghana through the UNDP.  The programme primarily seeks to empower participants with knowledge about rights under the Convention on The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), of which Ghana is a signatory. It is part of the wider programme being rolled out by the UN in Ghana to implement essential pre-conditions for achieving the goals of the CRPD through the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF).

The workshop was organised at the Crystal Rose Ambassador Hotel in Kumasi, with participants selected from the different organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in the Middlebelt and Northern sectors of the country, specifically, Ashante, Savannah, North East, and Northern regions. The beneficiary OPDs included the Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG), Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism (GAPA), Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD), and the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD).

During the training, participants were taken through topics that will enhance their knowledge about the rights of women and girls with disabilities, inclusive policy advocacy, intersectionality, gender equality, and mainstreaming, and the different models of disability, among others.

As part of the workshop, there was a press conference held with a cross-section of the media in the Ashanti region during which journalists had the opportunity to be briefed about the programme and also interacted with some participants to hear their lived experiences to be exposed to the public.  Some of the media houses invited to the programme were Citi TV, Hello FM, Ghana Web, and the Daily Graphic. The press conference provided a platform for the GFD to raise awareness about the workshop’s objectives and the UNPRPD programme.

Peter Anomah Kordie, the Programmes Manager of the GFD, gave an overview of the work that the organization does, elaborating on its vision, mission, objectives, and ongoing activities. He asked participants to take full advantage and enhance their knowledge in the issues to be discussed at the workshop. The participants expressed their expectations about the workshop which ranged from advocating for disability rights and building self-confidence to enhancing their capacities, networking, and understanding the vital link between the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The facilitators took turns to lead participants in discussing several important topics such as the Models and Types of Disabilities, linkages between the CRPD and SDGs; Understanding Intersectionality and disability inclusion; the role of self-advocacy in championing disability rights and Inclusive Gender Policies; etc.

In an interview with Ayisha Adam, a representative of the Ghana Associations of Persons with Albinism (GAPA), expressed her satisfaction with the programme. She had this to say, “This training opened my eyes. I particularly found the topic of understanding intersectionality enlightening. It helped me grasp the different types of stereotypes that people with disabilities encounter”.

A similar programme is scheduled to be organised soon for participants in the southern sector of the country in Accra.