RING supports 54 households

The Tolon District Assembly in collaboration with the Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project has presented 165 small ruminants to 54 targeted vulnerable households in the Dimabi Community of the Tolon District in Northern Region.

The distribution of the small ruminants, which falls under the livelihood and agriculture component of the RING project, is to ensure increased access and consumption of diverse quality food among households, especially women and children under five.

The RING intervention was implemented through a collaborative approach with District Assemblies (DAs) in Northern Region and the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), to improve the livelihood and nutritional status of vulnerable households in targeted communities in the Northern Region.

Alhaji Siedu Abubakar, Tolon District Chief Executive, speaking during a ceremony to formally hand over the animals to the beneficiary households, stated that the district had earmarked 2,500 vulnerable households to benefit from the RING interventions; one of which was the distribution of 768 small ruminants to six communities this year.

He said in order to make the project a success, beneficiary communities and households were sensitized and trained on disease recognition, prevention and control, farm sanitation and hygiene practices, improved housing and maintenance and supplementary feeding, before receiving the animals.

“Agricultural Extension Agents and 12 Community Livestock Workers from six communities in the district have also received training on medication and vaccinations, to provide support for the beneficiary households,” he added.

Alhaji Abubakar urged the beneficiaries, who were women, to take good care of the animals by feeding them regularly, and observing good sanitary practices in their pens, to make the investment of the development partners worthwhile.

He also urged the Traditional Authorities to impress upon beneficiaries not to sell the animals before two years to allow them to multiply.

He commended the United States Government and USAID for their continued support for the people of Ghana, and further gave the assurance of Government's continued collaboration with development partners to reduce malnutrition and poverty in the Northern Region.

Mr. Benedict Anamoh, RING Deputy Chief of Party, said all the 17 implementing MMDAs under the RING project would be provided with the requisite technical assistance to effectively implement the activities in their work plans to achieve the goals of the project.

He urged the beneficiary households to take good care of the animals for them to multiply for sale, or slaughtered for household consumption to improve the nutritional and income status of their households.

A representative of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, Mr. Habib Shahadu, lauded RING for its intervention to reduce malnutrition in Northern Ghana, and urged beneficiary communities, especially men, to support women to take good care of the animals to alleviate their plight.

RING is a USAID-funded project currently being implemented in 17 MMDAs in Northern Region.