Ghana
Sustainable Poverty Reduction in Northern Ghana (SPRING)
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF and the Association of Church Development Projects (ACDEP), a non-profit umbrella organization representing 48 grassroots development partners in Northern Ghana.
Funded by:
Lundin for Africa Foundation and CHF
Objective:
The project aims to sustainably improve resilience and livelihoods of poor female- and male-headed households in communities in northern Ghana.
Overview:
The SPRING Project targets the rural poor and the most vulnerable populations. Over its three-year mandate, the Project is expected to reach 4,677 beneficiaries directly and another 231,674 beneficiaries indirectly.
The project strives to effect long-term sustainable poverty reduction by enhancing incomes, improving rights and opportunities for women, increasing food security and ensuring effective natural resource management.
It encourages female and male farmers to adopt best practices of sustainable agriculture and better coping mechanisms to withstand the adverse effects of climate change.
Results:
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Farmers from targeted communities have been trained in improved crop agronomy and organic soil fertility management, resulting in higher crop yields and improved varieties.
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The Project has worked to increase and diversify income opportunities for both men and women. Farmers and select community members have been trained in beekeeping and honey production and provided with the necessary tools to engage in additional means of income generation.
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Interventions have aimed to empower women to access more resources and generate more income. Women’s groups have been organized and provided with training in micro-credit management and alternative income-generating activities.
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Project interventions address environmental degradation and resource depletion through sustainable environmental and natural resource management practices. This includes efforts to increase land cover and reduce community reliance on fuel wood.
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The capacity-building components of the project have also started to reap positive dividends. ACDEP staff as well as community members are being sensitized and educated on the important roles played by women in community development. Community members have been encouraged to explore the impact of gender roles and power relations in their social and economic interactions.
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In response to the drought and flood disasters affecting the northern regions of Ghana all within one year, CHF’s Environment Specialist delivered a training workshop on climate change adaptation and environmental management to ACDEP and its partners. The training raised awareness of climate change issues and introduced new skills and tools for participants to develop adaptive technologies and coping mechanisms for their agriculture and food security projects.
Building Resilience in Northern Ghana (BRING)
Where:
Northern Ghana, West Africa
Who:
CHF and the Association of Church Development Projects (ACDEP)
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CHF and generous donors
Purpose:
To enable poor rural households and communities, especially those vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, in Northern Ghana to attain sustainable livelihoods.
Situation:
This project improves access to nutritional foods and increased incomes for rural households in Northern Ghana. Working hand-in-hand with resource-poor female and male farmers in the drought prone regions of Northern Ghana, CHF and ACDEP are providing the advice and technology Ghanaian farmers want and need to become more resilient to vulnerabilities such as HIV/AIDS.
Results:
Since 2000, ACDEP and CHF have partnered to improve rural agriculture and sustainable livelihoods programming that targets the most vulnerable in northern Ghana. CHF has played a major role in providing funding and capacity building support to ACDEP for the development and implementation of agricultural production, sustainable livelihoods and income generating programmes.
This partnership has been expressed in the Household Food Security Project Phase 1 (HFSP I): Jan 2001- June 2003; HFSP II: July 2003 – June 2006; and the Sustainable Livelihoods in Northern Ghana Project (SLING): July 2006 – June 2009. The partnership has chalked tremendous successes, impacting not only the capacity of ACDEP and its partners but, more importantly, improving the lives of the rural poor.
The BRING project aims to consolidate previous results and to further strengthen ACDEP’s capacity to support sustainable livelihoods for the poor in northern Ghana.