SEND Ghana commemorates 25 years of championing transformative social accountability and livelihood security for the poor and vulnerable

The management of SEND Ghana is delighted to announce its 25th anniversary today, Tuesday, 8th August 2023. Ours is a journey and a story of resilience, growth, empowerment, and positive impact across the communities in which we operate.

Since 1998, we have lived our vision of creating an equal and empowered society where rights and well-being are guaranteed for everyone, regardless of age, status, tribe, or gender in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Our goal has been to drive positive change and foster lasting impact in the lives of our beneficiaries in these three countries.

Over the years, SEND West Africa, through its various programs, has been at the forefront of promoting gender equality, advancing sustainable and climate-smart agricultural development strategies, and improving overall health and wellness.

In addition, we have also contributed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing livelihood security for the poor, improving social protection interventions, and fostering relationships with decision-makers towards influencing policies and promoting good governance practices of accountability, transparency, equity, and participation.

Our dedication to promoting evidence-based practices has been integral to our success in driving transformative change in our communities. By prioritizing rigorous research and data-driven advocacy, we have developed initiatives that address the specific needs of each community. This emphasis on evidence has allowed us to influence policy to achieve lasting impact in the lives of those we serve.

For a quarter of a century, we have fostered open dialogues on issues confronting communities, ensuring that the poor and weak have a voice in critical decision-making processes. To this end, our budget advocacy work at the district and national levels has contributed to bringing governance closer to citizens at the grassroots. We have created platforms for inclusive discussions and facilitated meaningful conversations that have led to tangible and sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by our communities.

In addition, we have successfully established family-based farmer cooperatives to support smallholder farmers. This has improved their access to resources and opportunities within the agricultural value chains. Also, in partnership with the Agriculture Department, we have strengthened cooperative farmers' resilience against the impacts of climate change.

Furthermore, SEND West Africa has significantly contributed to changing gender narratives through various approaches such as the Gender Model Family concept, Rural Commercial Women Association, and Microfinance with credit union orientation. These approaches have resulted in empowering women, fostering leadership, assertiveness, and decision-making, while also promoting financial inclusion and economic empowerment for women.

As we commemorate this significant milestone, we express our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners, donors, volunteers, project principals, and other stakeholders who have been pivotal to our success. Together, we have transformed challenges into opportunities, creating a legacy of positive change in the communities we serve.

Join us as we celebrate 25 years of progress on 8th August 2023. Festivities to mark our Silver Jubilee will include:

Donations to selected institutions in Accra, Salaga, and Tamale on Tuesday, 8th August 2023.

A public lecture on the theme "25 YEARS OF CHAMPIONING TRANSFORMATIVE SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE" on Thursday, 31st August 2023.

We are more determined than ever to continue empowering the poor and vulnerable and advocating transformative policies that engender gender equality, social protection, improved healthcare, quality basic education for all, and climate-smart agriculture. With your support, we can build a world where social accountability is the norm and livelihoods are secured for everyone.

Siapha Kamara

(Chief Executive Officer, SEND WEST AFRICA)

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