Changing the lives of women in poor communities – NEWIG

I have been living in Sogakofe for two months now and I must say that I am very impressed with some of the initiatives in the area. One of such initiatives is an NGO called Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG), Ghana. Housed in an impressive building, the gender based organization is situated in Tefle on the Accra – Aflao road. Its vision is to see “a society in which men and women are accorded equal rights, equal responsibilities and equal opportunities for sustainable development”. And, NEWIG does this by organizing programs aimed at improving the socio-economic and political status of women in Ghana, particularly the poor, marginalized and vulnerable.

NEWIG was founded on 8th January 2002 as a skills development and gender employment non government, non-profit organisation with the goal of improving the conditions of the less privileged in society especially women. It does so by creating the needed platform for them to have access to vocations (economic empowerment), good health and sustainable life styles as well as political leverage in society. NEWIG began to operate on a full time basis in September 2003, after being registered at the Registrar-General’s Department on 9th September, 2003. NEWIG programmes are implemented nation-wide.

It is run by a dynamic group of professionals led by an affable personality in the person of Mawusi Nudekor Awity, a Business Development Expect and Founder of the organization. She doubles as the Executive Director running the organization full time. I was even more impressed when I entered the premises and saw the professionalism with which the organization is run. There is a classy showroom where products are showcased for sale and various offices.

NEWIG implements its programmes under the following functional areas;

Entrepreneurial Training and Capacity Building

Under NEWIG’s entrepreneurial development programmes, it organises training workshops in Enterprise Creation and Business Management for women to recognise and avail themselves of business opportunities as well as sharpening their entrepreneurial and managerial skills for better business management. The organisation also organises outreach programmes on vocational skills in various disciplines. NEWIG has an Entrepreneurial Development Project in Accra and Tefle that runs 5 months biannual trainings in 17 compulsory disciplines, including textiles, cosmetics, soap processing; bookkeeping and costing, entrepreneurship, interior décor, hat making, beads jewellery, floral arrangement.

Gender/Women Rights Trainings

NEWIG organises seminars and workshops on Gender Trainings. It also involves trainings in Domestic Violence, Gender and HIV/AIDS. NEWIG believes that the Gender Trainings certainly may prompt individuals to change their personal or professional behaviour, by creating awareness on gender issues, focusing on specific gender and development competencies and reinforcing commitment to change for a better society.

Leadership & Women in Political Participation Trainings

Fora, seminars and workshops on Political Leadership Skills Building and Good Governance are areas through which NEWIG implements its political empowerment programmes. NEWIG is also involved in other services such as consultancy, interior decor and catering.

Since inception, the organization has achieved several milestones which deserve mention as follows;

• NEWIG has a project where the capacity of women are built for access to political opportunities; advocacy on affirmative action with political parties
• NEWIG has formed three women groups in Hamile in the Upper West Region, South Tongu and Accra. These groups have been empowered with skills including entrepreneurial skills and are working as cooperative groups thus improving their economic situation.
• NEWIG has empowered over five thousand women including women living with HIV/AIDS in various parts of the country economically through entrepreneurial skills training. Most of them have set up their own businesses and NEWIG has been monitoring them.
• NEWIG has a project for unemployed female graduates of tertiary institutions where they are given entrepreneurial and leadership skills training. Majority of the beneficiaries are now gainfully employed.
• NEWIG formed alliance with Ghana Liberal Students Association (GHALSA), University of Ghana, Legon Campus Branch after organising series of gender training programmes for them. The students were used as agents for NEWIG to create gender awareness on the campus.
• NEWIG has explored and come out with the following innovations for the benefit of women; Soap and cosmetics from shea-butter, mosquito repellent soap from neem oil, stress reliever soap from eucalyptus leaves.
• NEWIG has built a Women Empowerment Complex at Tefle where women from various parts of the country are trained in our three functional areas.

The challenge with this organization and many others is the availability of financial resources to run it effectively. Mrs Awity has high hopes of getting the necessary funds to make the organisation a successful one.