Qatar Charity implements Economic Empowerment and Food Security program in Ghana

Qatar Charity, an international non-governmental organization, has implemented economic empowerment and food security projects across six regions in Ghana.

Speaking to the media at their East Lagon Ghana Office on the November 21, 2023, the Program Manager, Munim Shah, indicated that the projects, at the initial stages, were distributed across six regions in Ghana notably, Greater Accra, Central Region, Eastern Region, Ashanti Region, Northern region, and Volta Region.

Rather than offer the needy token amounts for their upkeep, these projects were designed to offer beneficiaries an opportunity to earn a living in a dignified manner.

Adding that, “These Projects are meant to complement a family’s existing capacity to improve their livelihood.”

The Country Director, Mr. Hasan Owda, prior to the commencement of the program, hinted the Ghanaian public that scaling up the livelihood and economic empowerment projects across the length and breadth of the country was part of Qatar Charity’s commitment to contribute to poverty eradication across the country.

The economic empowerment and food security program are being implemented across 12 key projects namely: grocery shops, bakery, sewing machines and accessories, provision of passenger and load tricycles, poultry farming, food farming, cattle and sheep farming, greenhouses, as well as the provision of media gadgets for freelance operations.

The program manager indicated that over 250 projects have been implemented since the beginning of the second quarter alone. During this time, 20 grocery items have been disbursed, in addition to a solar-powered shop established in Kissi as part of a model village project.

Qatar Charity also implemented some 32 bakery projects, each with a 25sqm container unit equipped with startup items like oven, warmer, and bakery startup items. Beneficiaries from across the country also received 31 Load tricycles and 17 Passenger tricycles.

More than 20 candidates benefitted from Qatar Charity’s sewing machines project; each beneficiary received an industrial sewing machine, a portable overlock, and other accessories needed to start a micro business. In addition, a 27-machine workshop was established in Kissi in the Central Region to train students and also produce clothes for sale.

Qatar Charity also established a 10,000-chick broiler farm at Kadewaso in the Eastern Region under its food security project. Kadewaso houses Dar ElSalam Village, one of two model villages designed to be self-sustaining; the other being established at Kissi in the Central Region. The proceeds from the sale of the birds will be used to support the management of the various orphanages under the Charity’s wing.

To aid the activities of local farmers, 12 beneficiaries are being supported to purchase farm inputs like seeds and fertilizer in order to improve farm yields. Some 128 cattle and sheep heads have also been acquired for rearing, while two greenhouse farms are being established to introduce farmers to new means of production.

In selecting beneficiaries for the program, Manager Munim said Qatar Charity relied on some experienced humanitarian stakeholder organizations like Hayaat Foundation, GTVP (GTVP – Ghana TVET Voucher Project), Federation of Muslim Communities in KEEA in the Central Region (FEMCO-KEEA) to complement the efforts of the in-house Social Welfare department. This wide spectrum of consultation with stakeholders ensured selections to be done across age, gender, and geographical locations and with emphasis on those that had the capacity and meaningfully impact on goals of the project.

The different projects located along these different regions where carefully selected to suit the nature of these localities with consideration to economic demands and activities within the areas. The income generating project is designed to empower an average family size of four persons; with more than 250 families, the projects are expected to impact over thousand marginalised families in Ghana. Employee beneficiaries with the poultry farm for example included both workers and orphanages who benefits from proceeds.