Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Girls (EROP)
Duration: November 2020 – October 2021
Background
Ghanaian women and girls continue to suffer various forms of discrimination and disparities despite the significant progress made over the years by development actors. Until date, equal rights for women and girls, elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women are still a concern for development partners. The domination of patriarchal societies in Ghana has been more oppressive than supporting women and girls.
Gender roles assigned women and girls, gender stereotypes, negative social norms, religious and traditional beliefs or misconceptions, cultural and customary barriers, give rise to teenage pregnancies, child marriages, domestic violence, rape, defilement, and other forms of abuses. To help change the trend, Savana Signatures with support from the Dutch Embassy in Ghana, launched the Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Girls (EROP) project in 2020 to facilitate the economic empowerment of women in five communities under the East Mamprusi District of the North East Region, where there still exist huge gap in gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.
Overall, EROP seeks to contribute to the realisation of gender equality and opportunities for women and girls to live successful lives in Ghana by the end of July 2021, by ensuring the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence, improved environment for women and girls’ participation in decision making, and increased capacities of social justice institutions for enhanced delivery of services to women and girls
Our Role
- Trained EROP Economic Empowerment Groups at the community level on livelihood and entrepreneurial skills
- Linked trained EROP Economic Empowerment Groups to micro-finance schemes for access to financial and technical assistance.
- Trained and empowered EROP Support Team to gain self- esteem, self-confidence to provide knowledge and support on gender equality/equity, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination against women and girls to
women, girls, men and boys.
- Conducted radio programmes with a call-in segment, radio drama/theatre, animation videos to increase community awareness and action on equal right and opportunity, forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls in all targeted communities
- Created referral networks between beneficiaries and social justice institutions through the SHE+ tollfree helpline call centre.
Highlights
- A child marriage survivor was rescued and enrolled in school to continue her education and pursue her dreams.
- A safe environment created for women and girls to thrive through the linkages created between the 5 EROP support groups and social justice institutions.
- Commitment statements signed by all EROP project schools’ teachers to protect
girls from SGBV.
- Seven EROP School Support Clubs were formed in schools to create safe spaces for girls to freely discuss and share ideas and challenges.
- Sixty-Seven community leaders pledge public support to report cases of violence in their communities to the appropriate institutions.
- Five women groups formed and provided with livelihood and entrepreneurial skills training have improved on their livelihood activities.
- Seventy-five EROP Economic Empowerment Group members trained on livelihood and entrepreneurial skills now enjoy their economic rights and social protection.
- Five Economic Support groups linked to the District Assembly Business Advisory Units to acquire business certificate.