OVER 120 girls were on Saturday educated and empowered at a ‘Girl Power’ conference hosted by the NGO, For the Children Sake Foundation, under the theme, “Educate, Inspire and Encourage.”

The programme was aimed at equipping girls with the needed information to make informed decisions in their social lives.
For the Children Sake Foundation Director Tisha Campbell, said the initiative was birthed after realisation of the increase in teenage pregnancy, suicide and STIs in Linden. Given the upsurge in social challenges, the programme targets the teen population.

“This event serves as an outset on our journey to ensure our girls are well equipped to overcome the challenges that await them in our society,” she said in her opening remarks.

Giving the feature address was Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, who charged the participants to take control of all their faculties needed to make informed and positive decisions that can impact their future. She revealed that the youth and adolescent population make up about 33 per cent of the total population and she is aware of the plethora of issues young people face.

“I want to say to you that [you] are not in a hopeless situation, you can fashion your life in a powerful and positive way, by embracing programmes such as this… knowledge is power, when you know, you can decide whether you want to do it right, or whether you want to do it wrong,” Lawrence posited.

She told the participants that it is necessary to keep their environment clean and make prudent lifestyle choices. “Gain facts about your body,” she said. “Just as you take care of your outward, you must take care of your inner being and most of all you must take care of your mind, you have to be in control of your mind… you have the right and you have the power to make the right choices.”

The girls were also urged to educate themselves to prevent adolescent pregnancy, since Guyana has the highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The girls were reminded that they are beautiful and powerful and should never think of themselves as beneath anyone.

Mayor of Linden Waneka Arindell congratulated the foundation for coordinating the forum and encouraged the participants to use the knowledge gained as a means of up-building each other.
“Through these events we want to see women and girls building each other, let us band together as girls and let us look out to each other, strengthen and lift each other and stand with our women,” Arindell urged.

The girls were also given a very informative presentation on sports by Deputy Director of Sport Mellissa Richardson. The presentation focused on how sport can build their interpersonal skills and their ability to work as a team. Former parliamentarian Vanessa Kissoon also delivered a motivational speech.

“Girl Power” was launched in May as a means of empowering girls and young women between the ages of 10 to 24, since at these age groups most are affected by societal ills.
For the Children Sake Foundation will also seek to conduct entrepreneurship programmes to empower young women to become financially independent.