RUWA-GHANA has played a key role in advocating for the rights of women, children and the vulnerable in the northern regions of Ghana. Many MMDAs and communities in the Northern and Upper West regions have over the years benefited in one way or the other from RUWA-GHANA interventions. Some of them are explained below:
In the Wa East District of the Upper West region between October 2013 and September 2014 under a project dubbed “Behavior Change Communication Campaign on Nutrition, Health, and Hygiene in the Wa East District of the Upper West region of Ghana”, funded by the Dubai CARES, a government of Dubai donor agent through the Noguchi Memorial Medical Research Institute of the University of Ghana, forty-one (41) communities of the district benefited from sensitization on good nutrition. The project aimed at influencing changes in the behavior of women regarding feeding their children with meals comprising all the three categories of food namely: carbohydrates, protein and vitamins.
In another assignment in the Upper West region under a project entitled: “Strengthening Capacities of Women & FBOs on FASDEP II and METASIP to Access Department of Agriculture Extension Services in Northern and Upper West Regions of Ghana”
The objective was to strengthen the capacities of women farmers and Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) to access agricultural extension services by increasing their knowledge and understanding of the demand-driven policy approach to agricultural extension services within the policy frameworks of FASDEP II and METASIP.
The annual celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day on first Saturdays of December 2017, 2018 and 2019 funded by OSIWA through the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and RUWA-GHANA been the implementing partner in the Upper West region saw the mobilization of hundreds of people including the army, the police, Fire service personnel, Civil Society Organizations and people from all walk of life demonstrated against corruption.
“Enhancing Women’s Participation in District Assembly Elections in the Northern Region of Ghana”. This project also marked a key role played by RUWA-GHANA to influence women’s involvement in decision making at family levels, community levels and district levels.
The project was implemented in four (4) districts of the northern region of Ghana namely: Tamale Metropolis, Sagnarigu Municipal, Yendi Municipal and Savelugu Municipal
This Assignment involved the overall objective of identifying and grooming thirty (30) women interested in contesting the 2019 district Assemblies elections in the Northern region of Ghana. For women to be voted as Assembly members in patriarchal societies like the northern Ghana communities is very difficult. Hence almost all the Assemblies are virtually without women members. The assignment was a vigorous strategic campaign which by the end of the project succeeded in getting 3 women elected into 3 different Assemblies.
A project entitled “Enough! Empowering Women, Girls, Boys and Men to Take Positive Action in Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Ghana, Liberia and Mali” was completed at the end of December 2022 in the Upper West region of Ghana.
The beneficiary districts were: Wa Municipal, Wa East and Wa West Districts. There were twelve beneficiary communities, that was, 4 each from the 3 districts namely: Wa, Kperihi, Buli, Busaa, Funsi, Bulenga, Goripie, Manwe, Wichau, Lassie, Veri and Dorimon. All these communities in particular and the entire Upper West region benefited from awareness on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and reductions in the incidences of same.
Another project which was completed in June 2023 was entitled: “Women’s Voice Leadership: Enhancing Level Playing Field for Gender Transformation in Northern Region of Ghana”
This project was implemented in the Northern region of Ghana. The beneficiary districts were Yendi Municipal and Nanton District. The beneficiary communities were six and they are: Guntingli, Kpatua and Gbingbaliga in the Yendi Municipality and Nanton, Nanton Kurugu and Kpano in the Nanton District. Besides sensitizing the communities on gender equality and making voices of women heard, the income generating aspect of the project which involved the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) enabled women raise capital to improve their retail businesses leading improved incomes to support households.
Working experience in the Upper West region of Ghana
RUWA-GHANA has been involved in many projects in the Upper West region of Ghana. Our Upper West branch office is in Wa, the regional capital which is where we operate to implement projects in the other districts.
We are well acquainted with the operations of sector agencies, administrative institutions, chiefs and community leaders as well as key stakeholders in the Upper West Region. RUWA-GHANA also has excellent knowledge and relations with a whole range of key stakeholders at District and Sub District levels. Our key staff and especially the field teams have excellent knowledge, experience and expertise to work in communities and MMDAs. We have in-depth knowledge of the Upper West Region and have worked with key stakeholders in almost all the MMDAs in the region, including Wa, Lawra, Wa West and Nandom Municipal. Due to our work in the Region, RUWA-GHANA has built an excellent relationship with a wide range of key stakeholders at the Municipal/District and Sub Municipal/District levels.
These experiences have taught us useful lessons regarding issues of ethnicity, the importance of conforming to cultural norms and how to deal with multilingual groups. RUWA-GHANA makes it a point to ensure that delivery of services ensures recognition of local cultural norms and also ensures response to peculiar local challenges, courts local support and project sustainability. This is achieved through:
Experience in HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 and Reproductive Health Education
RUWA-GHANA has experience in working on COVID-19 project as well as implementing projects at the height of COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has partnered with Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health and the Ghana Health Service to work specifically on the COVID-19 by distributing nose masks, hand washing soaps, sanitizers, veronica buckets, and flyers to some selected schools in the Upper West region. Throughout our work in the COVID-19 era, we have evolved our community engagement approaches to ensure strict adherence to the established preventive protocols. Through the School Clubs we established, workshop with our women’s groups, stakeholder meetings and radio discussions. RUWA-GHANA has built on its knowledge and experience in the area of reproductive health education and HIV/AIDS. Under projects funded by GAVI through Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health and StopTB Partnership Ghana, RUWA-GHANA carried out sensitization on immunization, HIV/AIDS and TB.
Experience in Gender Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Case Management
RUWA-GHANA has a zero-tolerance policy towards Gender-Based Violence, Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse. At RUWA-GHANA, we believe all people have a right to live their lives free from sexual violence and any abuse of power regardless of age, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, disability, religion or ethnic origin. RUWA-GHANA as part of its internal management organizational protocols has developed and implemented a comprehensive Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) Prevention policy which serves as the code of conduct to guide RUWA-GHANA employees and affiliates to curb GBV and SEA at all levels of its operation in project regions and districts. RUWA-GHANA has also signed onto other partners like Oxfam in Ghana and Plana International Ghana’s policies of zero tolerance for Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).