ActionAid begins development programme for women, children

ActionAid Ghana has inaugurated a one million Euro project aimed at ensuring access to quality basic education and economic empowerment for women and children in the three regions of the north.

The one-year project is being financed by the Rothschild Trust, a charity organisation based in Italy.

Sixteen communities in the three regions are benefiting from the facility which include the provision of seven structures for kindergarten pupils, two early childhood development centres, two rice processing centres with equipment, an ultra-modern youth centre and two three-unit classroom blocks in the beneficiary communities.

In the Upper East Region, seven communities within six districts are benefiting from the project. The beneficiary districts are Talensi, Nabdam, Pusiga, Binduri and Bawku West and the Bolgatanga Municipality.

Key components

Explaining the rationale for the project during the inaugural ceremony in Bolgatanga, the Country Director of ActionAid, Mr Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, said among its key elements, the project sought to address the problem of women who worked in various capacities but were not paid, re-integration of women alleged to be witches into their respective communities and promoting quality basic education and economic empowerment of women and children.

Mr Abdul-Rahman indicated that it was necessary to recognise who were engaged in unpaid care work, noting that studies had shown that women worked 24 hours while being heavily burdened with caring for both the aged and children, but their efforts were usually neither recognised nor rewarded.

Burden on women

According to him, the project will help reduce such burden on women to enable them to engage in more viable income generating activities or take up leadership positions in society. 

Touching on re-integrating alleged witches into their communities, the director stated that already his outfit had done a lot in that area, saying that so far "about 136 women alleged to be witches have been re-integrated into their respective communities through the support of ActionAid".

He further explained that when necessary, his outfit would provide grants to women to engage in viable income generating activities, noting that such interventions were in line with ActionAid's mission of safeguarding women's rights.

He said the concept of development had changed from providing physical structures to building self-esteem, confidence and knowledge of one's rights among people, particularly women and children.

Success of the project

The Deputy Director of ActionAid, Mr Saani Yakubu, said the success of the project would enhance the organisation’s advocacy role to ensure that government adopted strategies to address similar challenges confronting women in other parts of the country.

The Upper East Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid, Mr James Boamah, said his organisation had been in the region for the past 24 years providing interventions in such areas as education and the promotion of women’s rights.

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Daniel Syme, acknowledged the immense contribution of ActionAid to the development of the region and entreated the beneficiary districts and municipal assemblies to adopt good maintenance culture so that the communities would derive maximum benefits from the projects.