Mrs. Veronica Denyo Kofiedu, President of the Women with Disability Development and Advocacy Organization (WODAO), says empowering women, especially women with disabilities, can solve many inequalities in society.
She participated in a one-day self-advocacy workshop organized by WODAO for 20 women with disabilities in Ho City to participate in decision-making at the community level and facilitate access to social services. made this clear.
She notes that women and girls with disabilities, including women with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, continue to face intersecting barriers to their rights and participation in our societies, He said he relied on training to deal equally.
“And the overall purpose of our project is to help address entrenched sociocultural stigma and discrimination,” she added.
Madame Kofiedu said, “We believe that capacity assistance reduces women’s vulnerability and helps project a positive image of them contributing equally to the development of their communities.”
She said the project will enable beneficiaries to start asserting themselves and asserting themselves, knowing their rights and privileges and participating fully in the local decision-making process.
She acknowledged the financial support received from the UK Government for this project, through Ghana Sombi Dumadi, as well as grants and technical assistance to the project from a consortium led by Options.
Mrs Kofiedu said the project aims to empower 40 women with disabilities in Ho City and Ho West District.
Madame Precious Charlotte Addard, Vice President of WODAO, introduced participants to the skills of negotiation and engagement, saying that negotiations are common in both personal and professional settings and are used to resolve conflicts. , said it was an effective way to achieve mutually beneficial results.
She encouraged participants to be assertive, stand their ground, avoid confrontation and offense, practice empathy, use positive body language, and communicate effectively.
She enumerated the benefits of negotiations that promote mutual understanding and respect between the parties and can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes.
Madame Addard said that loss of trust and the risk of failure are the disadvantages of negotiations, and urged participants to follow principles.
Some of the beneficiaries that GNA spoke with thanked WODAO and its partners for championing their rights and well-being.
Beneficiary Madame Clementina Boley said the training provided them with a grounds to speak up and fight for their rights in community space.
Topics such as self-advocacy techniques, negotiating and engaging with authorities, skills and awareness regarding COVID 19 vaccination and personal hygiene were taught.
Founded in 2017, WODAO is a women-led organization that promotes independent living for marginalized women and children with disabilities, including women with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities in the Volta and Oti states. and work to promote social inclusion.
