As part of its resolve to empowering vulnerable communities to eradicate poverty, hunger and diseases, an international non-governmental organisation, World Vision Ghana, has implemented several life-changing initiatives in communities in the Kassena-Nankana West District (KNWD) of the Upper East Region.The socio-economic livelihoods, executed under the European Union (EU) Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) project, targeted over 2,000 women and men in 25 beneficiary communities.It implemented various interventions which included income diversification, small ruminants, skills training, including soap making, and growing of seedlings; all under the livelihood improvement of smallholders' farmers, and the increase forest protection and climate resilience."The project, commenced in 2021, has trained and supported 150 farmers, including persons with disabilities with 300 small ruminants for rearing." Under the Savings for Transformation (S4T) module, about 60 groups (25 each), have been able to raise GH¢1 million after receiving various capacity building trainings, such as leadership dynamics, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and business development," disclosed Joseph Abugri Talata, Programme Officer, World Vision Ghana, during an assessment tour of the beneficiary communities last Monday.World Vision and its partners, with support from the EU LEAN project, he said was committed to seeing to it that a lot of vulnerable persons, particularly women, heaved a sigh of relief in their 'sorry' living conditions by engaging in savings to secure a good future.As part of the project intervention in providing alternative livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers and households, he indicated the beneficiaries after receiving the training were gifted "saving tool kits".A member of the S4T group at Kadognia, a suburb of Chiana in the Kassena-Nankana West District, Felicia Aworigo, said but for the project, her child would have dropped out of school."Every year, I can borrow up to two times or more from our "Susu group" to pay my child's school fees.
My husband doesn't have a better job, thus hitherto, our child's education was always interrupted", she indicated, while testifying the impact of the EU LEAN project, a four-year project implemented by the World Vision in two districts in the north.Cletus Danlugu Awekomba, a teacher and member of the Kadognia S4T group, said the module did not only help members of the community to break the poverty cycle, but had helped strengthen social cohesion amongst the folks.He brought to the fore that: "See, I can tell you that a lot of people who were embroiled in a long-standing friction have united to pursue a common cause, thanks to the S4T module of the EU LEAN project.
The more the members converge at the meeting venue to discuss issues on the 'Susu', the more they interact, thus seeing it necessary to forgive one another".Mrs Benedicta Wugaa, a weaver madam from Banyono, said her life had been transformed tremendously after World Vision International intervened to secure a brand new machine (loom) and other materials under the livelihood improvement module of the project.Meanwhile, about 20 farmers have been trained and supported to establish four nurseries in the district, with logistics to raise more desirable and indigenous free seedlings, such as baobab, mango, mahogany, shea, rosewood, and a host of others.Mr Talata told the media that the Landscape Management Board (LMB) had been established, with a seven-person executive council manning it.The Robert Dampare-led board, he noted, was charged with the responsibility of undertaking monitoring of project interventions across the 25 beneficiary communities, "and as you have heard from the beneficiaries themselves, the contribution of the board members towards the successful implementation of the project has been invaluable, incredible to say the least". FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, CHIANA
