Episcopal Relief and Development reports on a comprehensive, integrated approach to ending poverty:
Ghana ranks 142nd on the United Nations Human Development Index. Natural resources have made Ghana more prosperous than many of its neighbors in West Africa. However, persistent poverty exists and most Ghanaians are small landowners relying on subsistence farming to survive, with one-third living below the poverty line.
Because of erratic rainfall and a short harvest season, the northern region of the country is particularly vulnerable to chronic poverty and food shortages. Malnutrition and child mortality rates are highest in this region, with malaria claiming the lives of 22% of children under 5 every year.
In Ghana Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Anglican Diocese of Tamale. The Diocese’s development programs are implemented by the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organisation (ADDRO), which has over 20 years of experience working in communities in the Upper East region of northern Ghana.
ADDRO’s comprehensive programs address improving the food supply, gender and reproductive health, malaria, disability rehabilitation and water and sanitation throughout northern Ghana. These programs have had a significant impact on the communities in which they operate. ADDRO’s work in the country is a wonderful example of the power of partnership.
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In Yelwoko, the Anglican Women Development Center serves girls who are not in school by teaching them dressmaking and batik making skills over the course of a three year period. Once they graduate from the program they are encouraged to start their own business and given support to do so. In this region of Ghana, families are often very traditional. Girls are usually not educated and frequently sold for a dowry. The Center works with the parents and husbands to help them understand the benefits of empowering women with skills. ADDRO also supports Gender Groups at two different primary schools. These programs educate children about the ways that traditional gender roles deny women and girls basic human rights and access to the same opportunities as boys and men.