Q and A with a member of the Cocoa Abrabopa Association in Ashanti region
- On May 29, 2020
The interview has been edited for brevity Photo: Pomasi Ismaila Photo Credit: SEND GHANA Pomasi Ismaila (39) has been a member of the Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) since 2007 and has been growing cocoa on his land for 18 years. As a board member of the organization, he represents the interests of 8,000 small farmers who are members of the cooperative in the Ashanti region. Pomasi Ismail wanted to learn about advocacy to pursue the rights of cocoa farmers. He participated in SEND GHANA’s advocacy activities, including lobbying and advocacy training and had also participated in other technical training for improved production. In October 2019, he participated as a speaker at an international conference on the future of cocoa. Interviewed by Evelyn Bahn, a team member at INKOTA netzwerk, Pomasi Ismail explains how SEND’s engagement with him has sharpened his advocacy skills which he demonstrated in the 2019 World Cocoa Foundation Conference in Berlin. 300 multi-stakeholder representatives are discussing what needs to change for sustainable cocoa farming. What did you learn? The majority of cocoa families don’t have a living income. To end poverty in cocoa-growing regions, higher incomes are necessary. But who is responsible for higher incomes? The governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are taking action now. It is good that they align to push for more stability of world market prices and have introduced a Living Income Differential (LID). The LID of 400.00 US dollars per ton must be paid by the international cocoa and chocolate industry. Only a few days before the conference, it was unclear whether the companies were willing to do so. Our governments announced to stop all sustainability projects if the additional differential is not paid. I am glad that the pressure showed an impact. If we focus only on sustainability projects and certification, there will not be the necessary changes. A higher price must also be paid. Will the Living Income Differential be paid to the farmers? We will monitor this closely. Cocoa farmers’ organizations and civil society must ensure that the promises are actually implemented. It is good that SEND GHANA supports us in this. Did you participate in one of SEND GHANA’s training? What has changed for you? If we had a problem as a cooperative in the past, we spontaneously called any authority and complained. At SEND, I learned to be strategic and to think first about what is the main problem, who can change something about our problem, and who are our allies. We prepare ourselves better, engage with important institutions and advocate for the interests of the cocoa farmers. I had confidence in myself to deliver. For my speech at the conference, I was very well prepared through the training of SEND GHANA. I knew that there were many important people and that I had to communicate my concerns convincingly and concisely. I have been practicing learnings from the advocacy training and that was put to play in the just-ended conference in Berlin. Do you think that international conferences will change the situation of farmers? The discussions at the conference suggest so. Much has been said about the need for higher prices and farmers to further improve their farming practices. In fact, all participants know what needs to change. Now it is time to walk the talk. The interview has been edited for brevity.
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P4H making NHIS work for the poor and vulnerable
- On May 29, 2020
Photo Credit: SEND GHANA By Adamu Mukaila, Civil Society Advisor, P4H “I wouldn’t be alive today had People for Health (P4H) not intervened to renew my expired NHIS Card. I could not have paid for my surgery, which cost not less than GH 1,100.00. I am very grateful,” said Agnes Ameko, a resident of Wumenu in Adaklu, Volta region. Recounting how difficult life has become since the demise of her husband, the 62-year-old widow said she survives on selling fowls that earn very little income. She frequently fell sick and unable to settle her hospital bills. On one occasion, for instance, she was seriously sick and admitted for a week. After she was discharged, she could not pay the bills and was detained in the hospital. A Good Samaritan saw her predicament and helped to register her onto the NHIS. Agnes and the Good Samaritan were unaware that by her impoverished condition, she was qualified for free enrolment and so he paid for the registration. For a year, she used the card to access healthcare but it expired. Agnes could not raise money for the renewal. “What will happen to me when I fall ill?” she often asked herself. The Good Samaritan had left the community but Agnes is most thankful to God P4H came to her in 2018. P4H collaborated with DCMCs, assembly members, NHIS and the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to identify extremely poor persons (indigents) in deprived communities to register them freely onto the NHIS. Agnes was lucky to be part of the over 5,000 vulnerable persons who were identified and registered. The beneficiaries of the free registration/renewal included widows, senior citizens, physically challenged and pregnant women, who did not know about the Free Maternal Health Programme. A twenty-five (25) year old disabled Oscar who also benefited from the free renewal of his NHIS card, just like Agnes, was unaware that he is entitled to free NHIS registration and renewal and so, in his own words “I struggled to pay the registration fee in 2016.” Over the years, Oscar relied on the support of his friends to renew his health insurance card, but now, he is grateful to P4H for helping him restore his dignity. “I used to beg money from friends to renew my card each time it expired,” Oscar said. “I will be very happy if you could extend your programme to cover more communities in Adaklu district so that my friends who are in similar difficulties will also benefit.”
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Safe motherhood for all: Access to skilled health personnel count
- On May 28, 2020
By Mohammed Tajudeen “I experienced one of the most difficult moments in life during my first and second childbirths. The availability of a midwife at the CHPS compound made it easy for me to access skilled delivery, and never again will I consider delivering at home,” Memunatu Abdulai. Yong CHPS compound, since its establishment in 2015, did not have a midwife until May 2019, and many expectant mothers relied on ‘unskilled’ traditional birth assistants (TBAs). The cost of transportation, coupled with long-distance travel, also hindered pregnant women in the area from seeking supervised deliveries in distant facilities. MEMUNATU SHARES EXPERIENCE A 30-year-old Memunatu Abdulai, a resident of Yong and a mother of four, recalls her ordeal during her previous childbirths, where she was assisted by a TBA. This experience made her vow not to repeat that mistake in her subsequent birthing. “When I was in labour pain, I was given herbal concoction to drink to reduce the pain and shorten the duration of labour which didn’t help much,” she said. As a result, Memunatu defied all odds and visited a sub-district health facility in Bilpela, which is about 9km kilometers for skilled delivery when she got pregnant for her third baby. TBA assisted delivery in Yong is now a thing of the past after People for Health (P4H), in February 2018, empowered Community Health Management Committees (CHMCs) with advocacy skills to enable them to demand accountability and equity in healthcare delivery. In July 2018, the CHMC, together with District Citizens Monitoring Committees (DCMC) informed authorities at the subdistrict about the need to post a midwife to the Yong CHPS compound. The sub-district initiated the process and channeled the request through the Metropolitan Director of Health Services, and the Metropolitan Public Health Nurse. The CHMC made several follow-ups with the health authorities, and in May 2019, a midwife was posted to the facility. According to the facility in charge, Mr. Imoro Siisu Jabaah, “it took quite a long time for the health administration to get a midwife who was willing to accept posting to the facility because Yong is relatively a rural community.” Since the midwife took office in June 2019, home deliveries have significantly reduced in Yong, and more women now access supervised delivery. Memunatu, who recently delivered her fourth baby at the Yong CHPS compound said giving birth under the assistance of skilled health personnel is most reliable and safer. “I had a very safe delivery by a friendly and respectful midwife, and thankfully, my baby and I are fine.” Indeed, Memunatu is now a strong advocate for skilled deliveries, and together with the TBAs, they now encourage expectant mothers to visit the CHPS compound for delivery when they are due. GHANA’S MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE AND THE SDG TARGETS It is worth highlighting from Memunatu’s experience that Ghana has quite a lot to do to improve institutional deliveries if we are to meet the SDGs targets of less than 70 per 100 000 live births by 2030. Currently, Ghana’s maternal mortality ratio is 310/100,000 live births, and the skilled delivery rate has stagnated between the coverage of 56% and 58% according to the Ministry of Health Holistic Assessment Report, 2017.
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549 High-school students share their perspectives on the SDGs
- On May 28, 2020
By Obaa Akua Konadu, YES-Ghana It is widely acknowledged that the MDGs did not facilitate sufficient youth participation in its design, implementation and monitoring. In response, the SDGs provide a fresh opportunity for young people in securing their inclusion in the global development framework. Despite the prioritization of young people as key actors in the implementation of the SDGs, several polls and surveys by CSOs suggested low levels of awareness and knowledge of the SDGs among the youth. To address this, the Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana), the Co-convener for the Youth Sub-platform of the Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs, organized the SDG Youth Essay Competition, an activity under the SDG Youth Action Campaign. Building from the maiden edition in 2017, the 2019 edition was on the topic ‘SDG 4 enjoins Ghana to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. In your view, how can this objective be achieved in your community by 2030?’ A total of 549 out of the 558 entries were shortlisted after careful assessment of the eligibility of participants from 79 senior high schools across the 10 administrative regions. This represents 61 % female and 39% male. The second level assessment, which focused on the general understanding of participants on the SDGs, saw the selection of top 20 applicants. The event, held on Legon campus on 28th August 2019, saw all 20 students in the company of their teachers and relatives, poised to be crowned the “2019 SDG Youth Essay Competition Winner.” At the end of the assessment, Yolanda Amankwaah Danso, a student of St. Louis Senior High School, Kumasi, won the contest with an amount of GH¢5,000. Regina Koranteng of Mfantsiman Girls’ Senior High School, Saltpond, placed second and won GH¢3,000. Caroline Kyeremateng, a student of Anglican Senior High School, Kumasi, taking the third place and won GH¢1,000. Chleo-Patra Azantilow of St. Louis Senior High School, Kumasi, and Joshua Ogyemoko Baleto of the Achimota School placed fourth and fifth respectively, bagging GH¢500 each. Students and chaperones, especially award winners, were visibly excited and expressed their appreciation to the organizers. “Thank you very much, YES-Ghana, for organizing such a wonderful event. I never knew my daughter was this confident! I was so proud just listening to her talk about such complex issues. You should organize this competition every year,” an ecstatic parent remarked. The essay competition enabled students in second cycle institutions to have a deeper knowledge and understanding of the SDGs. For some of the top 20 participants, the competition first introduced them to the SDGs. For others, it allowed them to read extensively about the goals to enable them to express their perspectives on them. “I heard about the SDGs when you (project team) visited our school. But this competition allowed me to read deeper into it. I have more knowledge of the goals than my colleagues. I will educate them more when I get back to school,” – said one of the top 20 students. All participants, particularly, the top 5 were urged to act as SDG ambassadors, create and increase awareness about the SDGs to their peers and others in their spheres of influence. Through this initiative, we hope to demystify global and national frameworks to the youth, to enable them to engage meaningfully in their implementation. It is expected that the documentation of these ideas will provide youth perspectives on critical development issues. Drawing inspiration from Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals), the SDG Youth Essay Competition was organized successfully due to the generous contribution and support from institutions such as the Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs, especially the Secretariat and the Youth Sub-platform and partner radio stations across the country. The SDG Youth Action Campaign is implemented by YES-Ghana, in partnership with 100% for the Children and funded by the Civil Society in Development, Denmark.
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Residents of Kpanashe and its environs enjoy improved access to maternal and child healthcare
- On May 28, 2020
By Mohammed Tajudeen The construction of a Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) has brought joy and excitement to women residing in Kpaneshe, Zulogu, Mandaa, Zetugu, Bogu, Kporo, Nyanteng, Zabagdoo Kuraa, Yepalsi, and other communities in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region. Before this, nursing mothers endured the discomfort of rain, harmattan or sun because weighing was being carried out under trees. Mothers who wanted better CWC services had to travel several kilometers to Galwie Health Centre. During the rainy season especially, attendance for CWC was often very low. Violent winds and rains, would occasionally visit them and disrupt the process. Sadly, the main facility did not have enough space to shelter clients during these circumstances, leaving women and their babies at the mercy of the weather. INTERVENTION As part of the USAID funded People for Health (P4H) project goal, to strengthen institutional capacity to support health delivery, Community Health Management Committees (CHMCs) were reconstituted and trained on their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the Community- Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in 100 communities. During the training, CHMCs were urged to start self-help projects and were supported to develop action plans. The action plan of Kpanashe CHMC prioritized a structure for CWC, and this was to be done through community mobilization. ACTION BY KPANASHE CHMC AND OUTCOMES As a first step, the CHMC opened a bank account. Every household was levied an amount of GH₵ 5 and paid into the dedicated account. By the end of April 2019, they realized over GH₵10,000 and started work on the project. Men, women, youngsters and adults, all contributed during the construction of the CWC. While men served the core of the labor force, women, on the other hand, supported with food and drinking water. Three months later, the project was completed and put to use in June, and CWC services are now at the doorsteps of the people. Azoya Brutus Akumbabe, a registered community nurse, and in charge of the CHPS facility said postnatal care and other child health services, have risen significantly as a result. “Previously, the facility recorded an average of 15 clients coming for antenatal and postnatal services. Attendance has now, improved appreciably and the facility records 50 clients or more per each weighing session since July 2019.” LESSON LEARNED The advocacy actions led by CHMCs in the P4H intervention communities prove that strengthening local level structures and empowering communities is key to improving health infrastructure and better service delivery outcomes at the local levels.
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Localizing the SDGs In Ghana: CSOs Platforms set up in 13 MMDAs
- On May 28, 2020
By Ugonna Ukaigwe, National Coordinator, CSOs Platform on SDGs Following the adoption of the SDGs in 2015, a coordinating unit for CSOs known as the Ghana Civil Society Organizations Platform on SDGs was established in 2015 to coordinate the activities of CSOs working on the Global Goals. The process leading to the establishment of the platform incorporated lessons learned from the Civil Society Platform on the MDGs, particularly on the need to have a decentralized structure that is owned by its members and sub-platforms. The Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs has strong and functional structures at the national level. For this reason, government has included the Platform in all the relevant SDGs implementation structures – the High-Level Inter-Ministerial Committee (HLIMC), the Implementation Coordinating Committee (ICC), the National Technical Committee (NTC), the Advisory Unit of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and most recently, the High-Level Committee for Ghana’s Voluntary National Review (VNR). However, this strategic model of partnership with civil society was not replicated at the district level. To facilitate a multi-stakeholder engagement on the SDGs to spur sustainable development at the local level, CSOs Platform on SDGs collaborated with Care International Ghana, GIZ-Agenda 2030-Support for Decentralization Reforms and WaterAid Ghana, to establish thirteen Civil Society Platforms on SDGs in 13 Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Assemblies (MMDAs) in East Mamprusi, Garu-Tempane, Nadowli-Kaleo, Ho, Bongo, Offinso South, Cape Coast, Sekondi-Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani, Tamale, Bolgatanga, and New Juaben South. Each of these district platforms has prioritized a set of five SDGs that they will jointly work in partnership with local authorities. To ease coordination and facilitate the implementation of the prioritized goals, the platforms have elected six convening team members each, to lead and coordinate the activities of the platforms. The conveners will lead their members to develop and implement a one-year action plan based on the selected goals. The conveners have also been introduced to their district-level authorities and have had the opportunity to engage the authorities to speak about their expectations. Some MMDAs have commended the establishment of the district platforms and indicated their commitment to working with the members and the conveners. “The establishment of the district platforms is a good initiative that will make the work of the assembly easier. A district platform makes it easier to bring stakeholders within the civil society on board,” said Madam Yvonne Naboo, Deputy Director of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA). Mr. Kingsley Kofi Sencherey, the Municipal Coordinating Director of Sunyani Municipal Assembly also said the availability of the CSOs platforms would provide a better avenue for effective information dissemination. “I am happy that the CSOs will be working in close collaboration with us, they will be the best people to share information with other stakeholders, and when CSOs understand the issues, they can speak to it,” said Mr. Kofi Sencherey. As a way of promoting mutual accountability, local authorities agreed to receive action plans from the district platforms and also welcome one of the conveners to sit in the District Coordinating and Planning Units (DCPU). Additionally, the 13 district platforms benefited from training on data visualization for the SDGs as well as strategies for mainstreaming SDGs targets and indicators into annual plans and programmes of their various organisations. Since the establishment of the platforms, conveners have rallied their members together to implement activities. For example, members of the platforms in Ho, Cape Coast, Tamale, and Bolgatanga, led by their conveners, have initiated series of awareness programmes on the SDGs in their communities targeting school children, market women and the media.
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Informal workers are citizens too
- On May 28, 2020
Photo: Tax logo By Miriam Hird-Younger, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto SEND GHANA works to ensure that the tax systems in Ghana are equitable and fair. From 2017-2019, SEND conducted an initiative to advocate for progressive tax reforms, and to build the understanding of citizens about their responsibility to pay taxes and contribute to national development. The initiative targeted market women, artisans, Persons with Disabilities in micro-enterprises, mother clubs, youth and Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) beneficiaries who form part of the excluded groups. These groups were trained and empowered to advocate for progressive tax reforms to policymakers. These groups also supported their members to understand why and how to pay taxes and the importance of contributing to Ghana’s development through paying taxes. Deborah Yemoteley and Philomina Ankamafio are cloth traders in the Makola market in Accra. They are informal workers and were selected as beneficiaries of SEND GHANA’s Promoting Progressive Tax for Inclusive Development (PPTID) project. Before joining the project, they thought that taxes were only for parliamentarians, government, and formal workers. They did not understand how national tax systems differed from the tolls they paid for their stalls in the market. They explained that after participating in the tax education “we understood what tax is all about, it is not just for formal workers, but also informal” and that “each and every one of us as a Ghanaian, we have to pay tax.” As Deborah explains, she sees the importance of paying her small share of tax, because as a citizen, “a little drop of water makes a mighty ocean.” When officials from the Ghana Revenue Authority came to register market women on the Tax Identification Numbers (TIN), many of the traders were confused, scared, and hesitant to participate. Deborah and Philomina realized that the traders did not understand why they needed the TIN. As leaders in the market who now understood the tax system, they asked the officials to let them explain the tax system to their peers and to assist in the registration. The officials agreed and gave them the required forms. They went about explaining to their peers about the importance of the TIN. Within a few weeks, Deborah and Philomina had registered a staggering 1000 informal workers for their tax numbers. With support from the STAR-Ghana Foundation, UKaid, DANIDA, and the European Union, the PPTID project is aimed at an improved tax system that supports the socially excluded and micro-enterprises in Ghana.
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Let’s Implement the SDGs to Make Ghana Equitable – CEO’s Message
- On May 28, 2020
Photo: Siapha Kamara | CEO of SEND West Africa Photo Credit: SEND GHANA Ghana is an unfair and highly unequal society. For example, poverty is concentrated in the Northern regions. Women are underrepresented in the political administration of Ghana. There are fewer women in parliament, cabinet, and assemblies than men. Farmers in rural communities are poorer than wage income earners. According to Building a More Equal Ghana report by Oxfam, “the wealthiest 10% Ghanaians now share 32 % of Ghana’s total consumption, while the very poorest 10% of the population consumes only 2%.” We at SEND Ghana believe that government policies have been the driving force for the perpetuation of inequality in the country. The colonial state sowed the seeds of inequality with its emphasis on export-oriented capital of the country. Unfortunately, successive governments, rather than uprooting inequality have implemented policies that have made the poor poorer and wealthy wealthier. According to Oxfam, between 2006 to 2013, when economic growth rate per annum was around 6%, 300,000 men, women and children could have been lifted out of poverty had …, inequality not increased.” Meanwhile, this was the period when the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) underpinned national development policy. Paradoxically, Ghana was enjoying international debt relief for its commitment to rooting out poverty. We at SEND Ghana embraced the SDGs for only one and one reason only. The SDGs have compelled our governments and its external development partners until 2030 to prioritize investment in the fight against inequality. Our support for the SDGs is thus, demonstrated in two key ways. First, SEND’s programmes are contributing to the attainment of the SDGs in health, education, agriculture, and governance. Second, SEND is providing leadership in civil society to hold government accountable for the implementation of the SDGs. This is why we are hosting the secretariat of the Ghana CSOs Platform on the SDGs. This is enabling SEND to promote civil society and government engagements to maximize the implementation of the SDGs. This edition of the Citizen Watch Newsletter features articles that bring to our readers, how SEND GHANA and its partners are promoting the SDGs in the fight against inequality in Ghana.
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