The Rural Empowerment Advocacy Project LBG (REAP), a non-profit organization that seeks to empower and support rural communities with livelihood programs, has launched its vocational training program dubbed the ‘REAP Vocational Project.’ The initiative aims to equip less privileged individuals in rural communities with free vocational training skills.
The ‘REAP Vocational Project’ will enable less privileged individuals to undergo short- and long-term training in any vocational skills of their choice. Upon completion, they will be equipped with the necessary tools to start their own businesses.
After their training/apprenticeship, the beneficiaries will, in turn, serve as a cohort for the NGO, training other less privileged individuals in their respective communities.
As part of the launch, REAP provided free vocational training to selected individuals at Akyem-Juaso in the Eastern Region as the first batch of beneficiaries for the project.
The beneficiaries, namely Mabel Mahu, Evelyn Amaning, and Faustina Odame, all Junior High School (JHS) leavers, will undergo hairdressing training. Elizabeth Koranteng and Odurowaa Faustina, also JHS leavers, will undergo dressmaking training.
Handing them over to their various Apprenticeship Centers, Mr. Samuel Ohene Nyantakyi, Founder of REAP, said the NGO was delighted to witness less privileged individuals in rural communities benefiting from its Vocational project.
“At REAP, our core mandate is to empower individuals in our communities with livelihood programs. Therefore, we believe the launch of our vocational training project is a step in the right direction to ensure we achieve our objectives.
“During the entire training period, we will support the beneficiaries financially and motivate them to ensure the successful completion of their programs. We hope this will go a long way to empower the rural folks for their future well-being.”
Partnership/support
Mr. Nyantakyiseized the opportunity to call on the local and international communities to support/partner with REAP so that together, less privileged individuals and rural communities in the country can be empowered to alleviate poverty.
REAP, he assured, will be guided by its mandate of empowering rural communities with technical and vocational support, charity, livelihood empowerment programs, and supporting infrastructural development to augment the Government’s efforts in development.
Mr. Christian Adom, REAP Coordinator in charge of Operations, who was instrumental during the research in identifying the right beneficiaries as the first batch, observed the launch of the vocational project as timely. “We know there is free Senior High School education and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) launched by the Government. But upon visiting these individuals, I realized that unfortunately, they cannot even afford basic things to partake in these free programs. So, we pray that REAP stays and becomes sustainable to support communities.”
The beneficiaries, in a joint interview, thanked REAP for providing them with free vocational training and promised to conduct themselves well to acquire the training. This way, they can, in turn, train other less privileged individuals in the future.
Rural Empowerment Advocacy Project LBG
The Rural Empowerment Advocacy Project LBG (REAP) is a non-profit organization that seeks to empower and support rural communities with livelihood programs. The NGO has, in the past, undertaken numerous livelihood projects, including regular support to widows, equipping BECE candidates for the smooth preparation of their exams, providing support in educational facilities in rural areas, supporting sporting activities in rural areas, assisting individuals with small-scale business start-ups, and providing vocational training for the youth in rural areas, among other initiatives.
