WOMEN IN THE NANTON DISTRICT ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE WVL PROJECT BY RUWA-GHANA

On Thursday, March 24, 2022, RUWA-Ghana held a radio panel discussion in the studio of Might FM with 3 women beneficiaries of the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project in the Nanton area. The women included: Yamba Iddrisu, Mariama Abdulai, and Ayishetu Issahaku from the communities of Kpano, Nanton, and Nanton-Kurugu respectively of the Nanton District.

In an interactive engagement on ‘Time With WVL Women’ show on MIGHT FM, the women attested to the fact that their communities are current beneficiaries of the three-year project which is now in its second year. They wished the project is extended to more than the slated three years discussing how they are being enlightened on issues of gender role discrimination, importance of women’s participation in decision-making and how their businesses can be sustainable among other issues.

Prior to the discussion, the lead project officer from RUWA-Ghana, Madam Barikisu Sumaila, explained that the WVL project is a three-year project being funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through Plan International Ghana (PIG) and it is being implemented by RUWA-GHANA in the Nanton District and the Yendi Municipal of the Northern region of Ghana. She added that the project, aimed at empowering women by encouraging them to make their voices heard on household, community and public discourses. It also aimed at economically empowering women to have access to and control over financial resources via the establishment of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in the communities.

“Since the inception the project in 2020 it has been grooming these women towards achieving the objective of having their voices heard by giving leadership training to them through the formation of Women Parliament Platforms (WPPs) and Girls Junior Parliament Platforms (GJPPs)”, Madam Barikisu, said.

Responding to a question from the resource person (Teacher Onga), on the attitude of men in the implementing communities towards the project, Madam Barikisu explained that the project began in 2020 with a ‘community entry’ activity that entailed visiting the communities, meeting with communities chiefs and elders to sell the ideas and objectives of the projects to them and sought their buy-ins. Many of the chiefs and elders subscribed to the project’s objectives and so they supported and continue to support its implementation.

On their part, the participating women shared with the public through the radio discussion the benefits they have derived so far from the project: They said the WPPs have served as rallying points for training them via workshops on gender transformation issues, their experiences from the training workshops have taught them not to concentrate household chores on girls only leaving boys out. Some of them are implementing this at the household levels and some of their husbands now agree to take care of children by taking them to under trees where they rest and play indoor games whilst the mothers concentrate on cooking in the kitchen-reducing the workload on the women. They also touched on the issue of VSLA, which they said is supporting their small scale businesses and helping them pay their children’ school fees as well as supporting household budgets. They seized the opportunity to thank Global Affairs Canada, Plan International Ghana, and RUWA-GHANA for bringing them the WVL project, wishing that the project could be extended.