Durbar on Gender Based Violence by Community Based Anti- Violence Teams COMBAT

Violence against women is a global phenomenon, occurring in every continent, country and culture. It harms families, impoverishes communities and reinforces other forms of inequality and violence throughout societies.

The effects of violence can remain with children for lifetime and can pass from one generation to another. Studies have shown that, children who have witnessed or have been subjected to violence are more likely to become victims or abusers themselves.

 It is against this backdrop that Action Aid carried out a survey to find out the level of gender based violence in the Talenis and Nabdam Disticts. 

Action Aid Ghana has therefore organized a durbar to disseminate the findings in Sakote in the Nabdam District of the upper East Region.

Statistics gathered after a survey indicated that about 70 – 80 percent of women between the ages of 30-55 years have experience some forms of physical, sexual and cultural violence while 70 percent of children below the ages of 18 have experienced economic violence.

The survey also   showed that, 75 percent of women between the ages of 30 -55 years’ in 15 sampled communities experience emotional violence.

These were disclosed during a sensitization durbar on the findings on Gender based violence mapping, at the community level, by Community Based Anti-Violence Teams, COMBAT.

Gender based violence GBV is the general term used to described violence that occur as a result of the normative role expectation associated with each gender, along with the unequal power relationship between the two genders, within the context of a specific society.

The durbar, which was organized by Action Aid Ghana in Sakote in the Nabdam district saw about 85 women participating. 

As part of the action plan to end gender based-violence in communities in the Upper East Region, Action Aid Ghana has established a 7 member anti-violence teams known as COMBAT in 30 communities in 5 districts across the region.

These teams have had capacity building training from relevant support offices such as DOVVSU, CHRAJ and department of Social Welfare among others.

The objective of these teams is to support communities with awareness creation on gender based violence and its consequences on development.

Violence against women and girls is an extreme manifestation of gender inequality and systematic discrimination. Speaking with Radio Ghana, the Programme Officer of Action Aid Ghana, Juliet Lelea Adams, said gender based violence and violence against women are terms that are often used interchangeably as most gender-based violence is inflicted by men on women and girls.

Ms. Adams added that, women and girls are mostly venerable when it comes to violence, one of the most systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world. 

She indicated that, Gender based-violence against women is a form of discrimination and deeply rooted in power imbalances and structural relationships of inequality between women and men.

Ms. Adams emphasized that, rights of women and children to live free of violence depends on the protection of their human rights and a strong chain of justice.

It is therefore incumbent on government and all other stakeholders to lean support in ensuring that strategies are put in place to end gender-based violence in the community and the region as a whole. 

GEPA Conference to Support MMDCEs to Promote Potential Exportable Products - Upper East

A conference on the implementation of the National Export Strategy in relation to the One-District One-Export Product has been held in Bolgatanga.

The conference which was organized by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), is in preparation to identify, develop and promote exportable products to support the thirteen Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region.

The Conference which brought together all the thirteen Municipal and District Chief Executives MMDCEs, including planning officers and Coordinating Directors.

The conference afforded stakeholders the opportunity to identify exportable product to be assisted by the GEPA for export. Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of GEPA, Mr Akilu Sayibu, explained that GEPA’s National Export Strategy and government’s vision is to make export the key driver to economic growth of the country.

Mr. Sayibu said the full implementation of the one-district–one-export product concept would help the GEPA and the country as a whole to achieve the set target of Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs) worth US$10 billion in 4 years.

This he added seems quite ambitious and out of reach; but it is achievable. He urged all stakeholders to put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure it success.

Mr. Sayibu further indicated that, the perennial forex fluctuations are partly caused by the low volume and value of exports realized annually.

He emphasized that, the government’s flagship program of One-District-One-Factory will complement a stronger export base.

 

He stated that in line with the vision of the President and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, GEPA is currently undergoing certain structural and fundamental realignment to be able to handle the new responsibilities assigned to it.

He stated that as part of GEPA’s vision, regional and District offices would be opened to see to the full implementation of the one-district–one-export product concept.

He stressed that, GEPA will   strengthen its presence in the Upper East Region to be able to unearth the full export potential.

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Frank Fuseini Adongo, charged MMDCEs to take the project seriously adding that the region was endowed with a lot of potential exportable products including the Bolga basket, Sheanu and butter, smocks, leather products, wood carving, drums, boaba oil among others.

He stated, with the support of GEPA to add more values to the products, they would attract higher demand at the international market thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty and generating employment.

Among some of the potential export products identified by the MMDCEs include rice, soyabean, Sheanu and butter, butternuts, groundnuts, sesame.

20th Anniversary of Ghana NGOs Coalition on the rights of the child held in Bolgatanga- UER

A child is a beautiful gift from God and in many societies, when a child is born, it is a joyous moment in the family and the world as a whole.

Therefore, a child falls into the category of beautiful gift that require protection and preservation. Children are considered as future leaders and without them a country is without a future

The children’s Act of 1998, Act 560 defines a child as a person below the age of eighteen years.

 Hence, any person below eighteen years should have inalienable right to be protected by parents, family and society.

A child therefore must not be discriminated against irrespective of his or her background. It is in line with this that the 20^th Anniversary Celebration of the Ghana NGOS Coalition on the rights of the Child has been organized in Bolgatanga.

The Upper East Regional Minister Rockson Ayine Bukari has called on parents and families to send their children to school so that they can benefit from government’s social interventions such as the National School Feeding Programme and the Free Secondary Education, which he assured, will be rolled out in September this year.

The Regional Minister said this at the 20^th Anniversary Celebration of the Ghana NGOs Coalition on the Rights of the Child, GNCRC, in Bolgatanga.

It was under the theme, “SDGs for All children in Ghana and Africa as a continent; Accelerating Protection, Empowerment and Equal Opportunity”

Mr. Bukari echoed that successive governments have made giant strives to promote child protection by enacting the children’s Act of 1998, Act 560, the formulation of a Comprehensive Child and Family Welfare, Justice for Children’s Policy, developed Resources Guide and Tool kit on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana, developing the Ghana National Household Registry and signing of protocols and conventions on Child Rights among other interventions.

 

These policies, he added, taps into the positive traditional values, principles and protective practices of the Ghanaian culture.

He emphasized that government through the support of UNICEF had established Regional Child Protection Committees across the country with the objective to contributing to the promotion of child protection.

Mr. Bukari stated that Ghana belongs to the United Nations and has adopted the Seventeen Goals encapsulated in the SDGs, which is expected to be achieved in 2030.

 

According to the National Coordinator of GNCRCs, Barima Akwasi Amankwah, Ghana is currently under tier 2 of the US report on trafficking in persons, with an increasing 1.9 million in child labor representing 21.8 percent of the children population in Ghana.

The national prevalence of child marriage has not declined but remained significantly stable between 2011 and 2014, at the rate of 27 percent with limited understanding of issues regarding disability and negative attitude towards children with disability.

Moreover, there seem to be limited access to justice for children in conflict with the law. Mr Amankwah, disclosed that weak justice system in dealing with civil cases such as custody, maintenance, paternity of children, and the rate of teenage pregnancy in Ghana is as high as 30 percent as at 2014.

Meanwhile, statistics show that the Ghana Demographic Health Survey report indicated that Child Marriages in the three northern regions alone stood at 36.1 percent in the Upper East, 37.3 in the Upper West and 39.7 percent in the northern region as at 2014.

This calls for a concerted efforts on all concern citizens to rise up to the challenge and put a stop to the trend.

Training workshop held on Fall Army worm in Bazua - Bawku UER

 

About 942 farmers have been affected by the fall Army worm in the Upper East Region as at June, 30 2017.

A total area of 1,273.6 hectors of farmlands have been attacked by the Army worm. According to the Regional Director of MOFA, Reverend John Manu, about 993 hectors of crops have been sprayed, 842 hectors recovered and 178 hectors destroyed.

Rev Manu made the disclosure at a day’s training workshop at Bazua in the Bawku Municipality, dubbed “the life cycle of a fall Army worm”.

In attendance were 86 farmers drawn from Bawku and its adjoining communities.  The workshop was organized by the Savanna Agricultural research Institute SARI, in collaboration with MOFA and Ariku Farms, runner up of the 2016 National Best Farmer Awards winner.

Participants were taken through the various developmental stages of the life cycle of a fall Army worm, how to identify it from the egg, the larvae through to the destructive caterpillar stage to its fully grown butterfly adulthood.

According to the facilitator of the workshop Dr. Francis Kusi, an Entomologist, the devastating nature of the pest cannot be underestimated.

As a result, Aliens for Green Revolution in Africa AGRA and SARI together with Feed the Future Innovation for Climate Resilience Cow pea Project and legume Innovation Love Project LILP pulled resources together to acquire five Pheromone Traps, to sample the pest invasion in the affected areas in the three northern regions.

He explained that the Pheromone Traps, which contain some chemicals are placed at vantage points to trap all flying insects including the army worm for later sampling.

This, he added, forms part of their contribution to support the National Task force formed to fight the fall army worm invasion in the country.

He said the pupation stage takes between 1-2 weeks before the worm emerges, and it breeds so fast that spotting it in an area needs swift response and urged farmers to be vigilant in monitoring their farms daily in order to report to the Agriculture Extension Officers, AEA, in their areas for attention.

Dr. Kusi indicated that, at the first star larvae detection, the farmer should spray in four days interval.

He further revealed that the pest lays between 150 -200 eggs a day and it takes about 4 days to hatch.

This he added translate to about 2000 eggs during the pest productive life span of two weeks before dying.

Dr. Kusi explained that it is easy controlling the pest at early detection, than later days because at the caterpillar stage, it enters into the heart of the maize plant. 

At that stage, not even all the required chemical can easily kill the pest.  In his presentation at the workshop, the Regional Director of MOFA Reverend Manu indicated that government has provided free pesticides for farmers for onward distribution to the various districts, to help fight the fall army worm.

He added that a team of task force have been formed in the various districts to assist the agricultural Extension Agents AEAs.

He further advised the farmers to as a matter of urgency report any incident to the task force for assistance If Ghana must forged ahead in her quest to achieve food security, then all of us must learn our support to the laudable policy of the government to bring about the needed results.

GBC                                                                 END

Two Kindergarten Classroom Block Inaugurated in Sakoti- Nabdam District in UER

A two classroom Kindergarten block valued at the cost of 150 thousand Ghana Cedes had been inaugurated at Sakoti in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region.

The 70 seated capacity block fully fenced and furnished with ancillary facilities, a mechanized Borehole, office and store was constructed by Action Aid Ghana in partnership with the local community.

Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Country Director of Action Aid Ghana, Smaila Abdul-Rahaman said, the key motivation of Action Aid is to identity the hard to reach areas and support people living in poverty.

Mr. Abdul-Rahaman indicated that Action Aid has been operating across board in the Talensi - Nabdam area for the past 10 years before it was later divided into the two districts.

He explained that, they are engaged in Irrigations construction, some level of Regional advocacy work in areas of dehumanizing cultural practices such as Widowhood rites, Female Genital Mutilation and currently championing End Child Marriage project.

He added that it was against this backdrop, Action Aid is now constructing Early Child Care Centers and KGs to support the communities.

Mr. Abdul-Rahaman advised parents, staff of the school and community members to maintain the facility and ensure that all children of school going age are enrolled and retained in order to secure their future.

On behalf of the GES, the Nabdam District Director of Education Joseph Amesimeku thanked Action Aid Ghana for the kind gesture and appealed for their continued support in that regard.

He promised that the facility will be used accordingly for improved educational outcomes. Also in an address read on her behalf, the Nabdam DCE Agnes Anamoo underscored the role of Action Aid Ghana through its implementing partners such as Widows and Orphans Movement WOM and BONATADU.

These organizations have over the years supported a number of advocacy programmes in the Nabdam District, particularly in area of women’s right and economic empowerment.

Such programmes, she added, have helped women in the area to gain access to farm lands and also empowered them economically to achieve food security, with sustainable livelihood.

Mrs Anamoo further emphasized that, the construction of the two facilities by Action Aid gives credence to their vision of realizing a just, equitable and sustainable society in which every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity and freedom from poverty and all forms of oppression.

She added that there is no right to a life of dignity than opening the doors to education to the little ones in deprived communities such as Sekoti.

The Nabdam District Assembly, having realized government’s resolve to shifting the educational systems and structures from merely passing examinations to character formation, nurturing value, and raising literates, it was  a wakeup call for that educational transformation.

The quality of school buildings may be related to other school quality issues such as working conditions for teachers, and the ability to undertake certain instructional approaches.