Dee Side: Upper West Family Meeting

The convoy arrived in Wechiau, in the Upper West Region, a small community affected by flooding. The project we were inspecting was a livelihood development project, to move the income dependence of the community from farming to other areas. This women’s group was going to be supported in 1) making shea butter, 2) making soap and 3) baking bread. The floods and water shortages were compromising this community, the major flooding occurred in 2007, and I don’t think the community really recovered.

We were welcomed warmly;

There was a strong emphasis on gender, and it was quite ironic that the NGO staff were all men, representing this women’s group. So we asked the ladies to talk to us. They were clearly excited about having hobs and responsibilities, and reported their husbands are supportive. The Upper West is the worst in the country for women’s rights and equality, so this was great to see.

A lady explaining the women's group to us

We inspected the building of their proposed workplace, the building is currently under construction. The women come every day but have nothing to do. The team promised to install toilets (as the town has none, and people must defecate in the open) and basic sanitation, and proposed some literacy classes which caused a stir. This moved many of the women and they were so happy, it was pretty motivating, you know, exciting to see problems being looked at and promises being made. I hope I get to see the project come to fruition, the health sector promised some nutrition education as well which I was so happy to hear, a captive audience like this could really benefit from well-placed interventions.

The new building under way

It’s hard not to be skeptical, I really hope these things are followed through, but I feel maybe some of the promises were a bit empty. Time will tell, and for the moment there’s a group of women who are being promised the world, and I hope they get it because they deserve it.