Accra: ActionAid Ghana (AAG), in partnership with the Jirapa Farmers Network (JiFAN), has provided livelihood training and start-up support to women in the Jirapa Municipality and Lambussie District to strengthen their economic resilience and improve household incomes. The initiative aims to address poverty and socio-economic vulnerabilities contributing to child marriage in the beneficiary communities.
According to Ghana News Agency, the beneficiaries received pigs, goats, soybean kebab processing equipment, and other materials after practical training in soybean kebab production as well as small-ruminant and piggery rearing. Forty parents of sponsored children under AAG's Child Sponsorship Programme benefited from this intervention. The beneficiaries were from various communities, including Chebogo, Billaw, Piina, Sentu, Lambussie, and Karni in the Lambussie District, as well as Gbare, Sabuli, Tampaala, Ul-Kpong, and Ul-Dantie in the Jirapa Municipality.
Presenting the start-up items at separate ceremonies, Madam Abiba Nibaradun, Upper West Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, emphasized the support as an investment in the future of the beneficiaries, their children's education, and their communities. She urged the beneficiaries to establish sustainable livelihoods and improve household incomes through this intervention.
Kuoro Issaka Zeng'eh Kazie Tenjie (Bussiekuoro), Paramount Chief of Lambussie, expressed optimism about the intervention's potential to reduce poverty among women and households in the traditional area. He highlighted the demand-driven nature of the intervention as a factor for its sustainability and committed to monitoring the beneficiaries to ensure productive use of the items.
Mr. Ireneous Basingbie Naawulle, Lambussie District Chief Executive, encouraged beneficiaries to make productive use of the support and advised against selling the animals and equipment or consuming the livestock at the household level. In Jirapa, Mr. Peter To-ang, the Jirapa Municipal Chief Executive, praised the presentation of the start-up items as a strategic investment in the socio-economic development of the beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries like Ms. Danyi Assumpta from Tampaala and Madam Aapinekuu Pala from Chebogo expressed their commitment to utilizing the skills and resources acquired to improve their financial situations and support their children's education and healthcare needs. The initiative aligns with ActionAid Ghana's Country Strategy Paper VII (2023-2028), which prioritizes expanding access to economic empowerment opportunities and decent work, particularly for women and vulnerable groups, contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on poverty reduction and elimination of harmful practices by 2030.