United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) Tuesday donated 76 motorcycles to Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare to reach more women in rural areas.

The motorcycles have been donated to ease mobility of workers towards Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Programme (GEWEP).

Speaking after receiving the donation, Minister responsible Patricia Kaliati said the programme will help to reach more beneficiaries on issues of gender.

“Issues of gender based violence are high because women are not educated and economically empowered and lack a lot of resources to support their families, so men took advantage of that to abuse them.

“Our girls are also going into marriages early; impregnated and defiled, but now under the programme which we have on the girl child from UNFPA with support from European Union we have achieved a lot,” Explained Kaliati.

She said the motorcycles would be taken to one stop centres, victim support units and to mother groups to mobilizing girls to go back to school and the motorcycles would help to reach remote areas.

Kaliati added that time has come for women to sort themselves and get out of been silent to end problems for the country to achieve development goals by 2030.

However Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry Dr Mary Shawa asked UNFPA officials to register the motorcycles with Private Vehicle Hire Organization (PVHO) to have number plates and to train the user.

She said the motorcycles would be much taken care of if the users are well trained to avoid accidents and unnecessary breakdowns.

UNFPA Deputy Country Representative Dr Rogala Abdel Rahim said government through the ministry of gender is very committed on issues related to women and girl child.

She added that they have collaboration together and the handover of motorcycles would help to facilitate the officers in the field to which women and girl child are affected.

GEWEP is implemented in 13 districts by UNFPA with support from EU.