It is early morning and we see a group of young adults hurrying off. Among them is Bernice, a young lady from Mehame, a cocoa community in Ghana. She is happy as her laughter is heard from a distance as they walk by on their way to their training centers.
She is in the second year of her apprenticeship training in tailoring.
Two years ago, she was not so happy and care-free. She was involved in various forms of child labour. She had to help her parents work on their cocoa farm where she was exposed to a lot of hazardous work.
But today, the situation has changed for Bernice. Through the help of the Community Child Protection Committee (CCPC), her parents were taken through household awareness and dialogue sessions. Through this process, the CCPC was able to get her parents to understand child labour and hazardous labour and their effects on the lives of children.
Upon realising that Bernice, who was sixteen years old at the time, was at the risk of going back into child labour, the CCPC worked with ICI and her parents to ensure that the risk of her falling back into child labour was completely removed.
“I joined this apprenticeship programme because my parents were unable to pay for my education after I completed Junior High School. When the CCPC spoke to me about this opportunity, I was really happy.”
She was supported to enroll with a master trainer. Now, she is among those who chase their dreams and strive for a better future.
According to Bernice;
“I have seen that sewing can help me to achieve my aspirations. This can help me accomplish all the plans I have for myself.”