A NEW Girl Power Centre is opening to support vulnerable girls living in Ghana.

Porridge and Pens, a charity based in Brightlingsea, has opened the centre in Kumasi.

The multi-use centre will cater for the needs of young women and teenage mothers who are in danger of not completing their education.

It is through education they can plan a better future free from poverty.

With a new centre manager in place, girls can now access help whenever they need it.

The new centre will not only provide shelter and accommodation for those with nowhere to go, it will also provide a multi-purpose room for talks, a playgroup for teenage mothers, a computer suite and library, kitchen and store room.

The charity launched its Girl Power project in January 2018.

Less than two years later, with the support of generous donors, it has been able to give 24 girls educational grants to keep them in school with all the resources they need to succeed.

Jemma Williams, who is the founder of Porridge and Pens, said: “Our Girl Power project has been a huge success so far but it quickly became apparent some of the young women on the programme needed extra help and support.

“After a day of school, some of the girls were heading home to terrible conditions or not having a home at all and we wanted to change this. The Girl Power Centre will completely change the lives of those who use it.”

Porridge and Pens recently saw off a group of runners who are heading to Ghana to take part in their annual half-marathon and raise money for the charity and the Girl Power Centre.

Whilst out there the runners will be distributing Days for Girls reusable sanitary towel kits at three schools and the Girl Power Centre.

Lia Smith, who is the UK project manager, said: “We rely on the support, fundraising and donations of those closest to us to make sure we can keep performing this vital work for some of the most vulnerable children in the world.

“Thanks to our sponsors, donors and fundraisers we’ve been able to continue to grow and help more children than ever.

“This launch marks a really exciting milestone for us in the development of the Girl Power programme and we’re looking forward to being able to help these girls continue to grow both in and out of school.”

For more, visit www.porridgeandpens.org/donate.