Action Aid Ghana Launches new project

Action Aid Ghana (AAG), a Non-Governmental Organisation on Tuesday launched a social intervention programme to educate, protect and support women to be financially independent.

The new project dubbed” Access to Quality Basic Education and Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth” has three key components and it is expected to benefit the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

Details in the components include Promoting quality basic education, reintegration of alleged witches into society and supporting unpaid work of women.

The Country Director of AAG, Mr Sumaila Abdul-Rahman said under the educational component of the project, Early Childhood Day Care Centres including Kindergarten Schools would be built at vantage points in the Regions.

This, the Country Director noted, would not only help in addressing the difficulties women experienced in nurturing their children whilst attending to routine family businesses, particularly at market places, but would also help provide the basic teaching and learning materials at the pre-school levels to build solid foundation for the children when they are enrolled into basic schools.

Mr Abdul-Rahman stated that the project would also establish Rice and Sheanut processing centres in the project areas to help empower more women to go into rice mailing and Sheanut production to help improve their livelihoods.

On the confinement of alleged Witches in some parts of the project areas, the Country Director mentioned that in the past four years, his outfit had re-integrated about 186 alleged Witches into Society. He observed that they were doing very well and stressed AAG’s readiness to continue to reintegrate more of them.

“The Project would in addition build an ultra Modern Training youth centre to serve dual purposes including the provision of skills development for the youth to build the confidence and self-esteem in them as well as engage duty bearers to deliver efficiently”.

The Country Director announced that the Project, which is for one year, is valued to cost one Million Euros. It would be funded by an Italian Philanthropist who does not want his identity revealed. “The money is paid into the Ruth Trust Fund, a charitable Organization based in Italy”.

Mr Saani Mohammed Yakubu, Deputy Country Director of AAG said six Districts in the Upper East Region, including Talensi, Nabdam, Pusiga, Bawku West and Binduri are to benefit from the project and entreated all stakeholders to support the implementation of the project.

According to him, AAG would use the project as a test case and when successful it would be replicated in other areas of the country as well as encourage the government and other stakeholders to adopt it.

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Daniel Syme, who launched the Project, acknowledged the contributions of the NGO, particularly in the provision of educational infrastructure, construction of dams, improved livelihoods for women and the youth and advocating for the formulation and implementation of good polices.

He called on the Municipal and District Assemblies to be active in supporting the NGO to implement all the packages in the project so as to help improve upon the livelihoods of the people.

The launch attracted stakeholders including District Chief Executives, Regional and District Directors of Education, District Assembly Coordinators and Planners, Civil Society Organizations and AAG and its partners.