MTN Ghana Foundation has provided startups and seed monies to girls liberated from Trokosi shrines in parts of the Volta Region and given vocational skill training at Baptist Vocational Training Institute.
In 1998, Ghana outlawed trokosi, an old age cultural practice where fetish priests take young virgin girls, in payment for services or in religious atonement for alleged misdeeds of a family member or ancestor which brought curses.
This is declared as discerned by the priest of the shrine.
The practice was prevalent among Ewe communities. The word trokosi comes from the Ewe words “tro”, meaning deity or fetish, and “kosi”, meaning female slave.
Apart from, human right abuse of these young girls, they are also sexually abused and denied education.
Although the practice was outlawed in Ghana in 1998, it is still being practiced covertly due to lack of law enforcement, fear and the reluctance of governments to interfere with traditional practices.
Emmanuel Obani, an administrator and activist against trokosi believes the lack of law enforcement has given some perpetrators to still practice the primitive culture covertly.
The Ghana Baptist Convention in 1998, established Baptist Vocational Institute located at Frankadua in Asuogyaman District in Eastern region after the practice was abolished, to provide vocational skills training to trokosi girls liberated from various shrines.
The center offers catering, dressmaking/Tailoring, Kente -Weaving, Hairdressing, Batik Tie and Die , beads designing, and entrepreneurial skill in addition to core subjects.
Sefakor, was just six years when she was given to a shrine as trokosi but was liberated at age 14 years to the vocational center.
“they said my grandfather sold a piece of land which did not belong to him as a result a curse came onto the family which resulted in recurring deaths . so a young virgin was required at the shrine at Dofuor -Adidome which I was sent to serve the gods as atonement . We used to struggle for food . We walked several miles to Juapong to fetch water it was on one of these days when I went to fetch water that I met a man whom I narrated my ordeal to him which she took me to this place without my family knowing . And I have been here since I was 14 years and I have been given vocational skill training” Sefakor recounted with nostalgia.
A total of 410 victims of the outlawed cultural practice have been trained by the vocational institute since its establishment. Currently, enrollment at the center stands at 74 comprising 30 ex-trokosi girls and 48 private students.
Despite these successes, Manageress of Baptist Vocational Training Institute. Mrs. Grace Akunor said the center is facing challenges of lack of funds as donations have seized due to covid-19 pandemic.
It is also facing infrastructural and logistical challenges including lack of workshops.
“the center lacks fund to provide upkeeps for the rescued girls at the center due to the effect of Covid-19 on conventions by churches and donors. We lack adequate classrooms, plastering and fixing of doors and louvers of ongoing classrooms. we need care items such as soaps, panties, brazier, underwear, toothpaste among others ”
Also ” .we lack catering workshops to meet NVTI requirement.We don’t have school bus we use commercial vehicles for our outdoor programs. This year,had it not been the intervention of MTN ,we wouldn’t have known when to graduate these students and give them all these startups and seed capitals”
MTN Ghana Foundation on Thursday October 7, 2021 sponsored the 15th graduation ceremony of Baptist Vocational Institute which saw 42 students including 17 trokosi liberated girls and 25 private girls who successfully passed their May/June 2021 NVTI examination.
MTN provided start-up equipment such as hair dryers, standing washing base, Sewing machines, local ovens, rubber tube cylinders among others as well as seed capitals to the graduands at total cost of over Gh23,000.
This follows appeal by the institution to the telecom giant.
Steven Asare, MTN Area sales manager for Eastern, Volta, and Oti Regions said “Since the inception of the MTN Foundation in 2007, the Foundation has invested over GHC 55.3 million into impacting and life brightening 157 projects across the country. With the same commitment, the Foundation committed resources to support students of the Baptist Vocational Training Center. The Foundation Board approved a total of Gh¢20,000 to acquire start-up equipment and seed capital for all 15 beneficiaries who are part of the graduands.
Today, we are happy we had a reason to believe in you from the beginning. We see the fruits of our investment and we are pleased to witness this graduation. We are also proud you have empowered yourselves by acquiring new skills and discovered your individual areas of interest in catering, dressmaking and hairdressing”.
The graduates believe they are economically empowered to become entrepreneurs aiming to further their education whiles working.
Source : Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah
