Thirty (30) self-help group (SHG) members have completed a day’s training in bead-making on December 16, 2019 at the Accra Rehabilitation Centre, located at Adabraka in Accra. The trainees were comprised of pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and teenage mothers and were drawn from six (6) districts and sub-metros within the Greater Accra Region. It was made possible with funding from UK aid under a maternal mental health project titled: “ Enhancing maternal mental health of pregnant women and mothers and their children to realize maternal and children child health in Ghana.“
The maternal mental health project is a 36-month project which started in July 2018. It is expected to integrate routine mental health services into maternal health services and provide social and economic support to women suffering from perinatal mental health disorders. These interventions, it is envisaged, would improve the well-being and health of pregnant women, mothers and their babies. The project is being implemented in 74 districts and municipalities in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra Regions.
Before commencement of the training, the participants were assessed for their interest and capacity to undergo the training. Established entrepreneur and bead-maker, Amanda Agyeman of Amandis Expressions, was the resource person. She trained the self-help group members on how to design various types of bead products such key holders, necklaces, bangles, ear rings, ladies’ purse and hand bags, among others.
After the training, all the newly trained bead-makers were given bead-making starter packs to help them set-up. Project Officer of BasicNeeds-Ghana in Accra, Sunday Anaba, before presenting the starter packs to the participants, congratulated them on acquiring new income generating skills. He remarked that the new skills they had acquired would not only enable them earn income, but it would help them change negative public perceptions about people with psycho-social challenges through their designs. He further added that BasicNeeds-Ghana would support the participants to find ready markets for their products.
