By:Isaac Amoah

The Women Environmental Defenders Association (WEDA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality, with the support of Global Greengrants Fund, has held a series of alternative livelihood empowerment activities for the women and children at New Tetrem in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

The ongoing empowerment activities started last March and it is expected to end in August 2024.

Some scenes from the New Teterem empowerment training in front of the Chief’s palace.

The activities are aimed at equipping women and children, especially those who have been resettled from Tetrem to New Tetrem by Asanko Mining Company. Even though the company resettled the affected community members from their original place of abode, they have lost their farmlands and places for trading.

A few days ago, WEDA organised a well-attended empowerment programme for women and selected schoolchildren at New Tetrem.

The programme was on the theme: “EMPOWERING WOMEN IN ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD: KEY TO DEVELOPMENT”.

Some officials of Social Welfare from the Amansie West District Assembly were key facilitators for the day’s alternative livelihood empowerment workshop.

The NGO operating on the motto: ”Women and Children Freedom Advocacy” is geared towards empowering women to venture into alternative livelihoods to prevent economic hardship, particularly as mining activities (both legal and illegal ones) continue to affect them negatively.

Some scenes from house to house empowerment outreaches

The leader of WEDA, Madam Comfort Nyamekye, in her opening remarks, explained that the advocacy for sustainable livelihoods for women at New Tetrem, which is a resettlement community by Asanko Gold Mines, was very necessary to secure their occupation and families.

According to her, the people are predominantly farmers, with a few of them engaging in petty trading.

She observed that the company neither provided them with farmlands nor a market centre at the resettlement site (New Tetrem).

“It’s in the light of this that we’re working together with the affected women and stakeholders to get the necessary alternative livelihood options for them,” she noted.

Madam Comfort Nyamekye(first from the left) leading the House to house

Madam Nyamekye mentioned among other activities within the empowerment for alternative livelihoods for the target women and the future leaders in the area to include two sensitisation and empowerment training workshops for the selected women,

meeting with the mining company to lobby for the alternative livelihood for women in the affected communities and a common market for them, an engagement with the media, etc.

The facilitators praised the leadership of the NGO for the initiative and called for the support of the affected community members to lobby for better alternative livelihoods.

A cross-section of participants openly commended the NGO for the empowerment progamme and also appealed to Asanko Mines to urgently come to their aid with alternative livelihoods and a common market for them to protect them from economic crisis.