Comfort Kissiwaa is 49 years old and a native of Nsuta in the Nsuta-Aweregya Epicenter in the Eastern Region. She is married with five children (four girls and a boy). She is educated up to the secondary school level. Prior to joining The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana, she was working as a kindergarten teacher at Nsuta with an average annual income of GHC 140 (US$110) and was also engaged in farming to supplement her income and for subsistence.

Comfort joined THP-Ghana in 2000 after a mass Vision, Commitment and Action Workshop (VCAW) at Nsuta, which, according to her, had a remarkable impact on her and how she perceived life, generally. Her entry point into THP was the Women Empowerment Project (WEP), through which she began to gain prominence in the community as a result of the opportunity she had to educate people on their civic, legal and health rights.

Subsequently, following her participation in several AWFFI VCAWs, she joined an AWFFI credit group in her community through which she received loans five times for the expansion of her farming activities. Comfort was later elected as the Secretary of the Nsuta-Aweregya Epicenter Executive Committee. In 2004, she was appointed Manager of the Epicenter Community Bank, after passing a competitive interview that was conducted for the position.

Reflecting on her past and the positive transformation that has taken place in her life, Comfort now believes that almost everybody has unlimited innate potential and abilities that can be realized with the right mindset and the necessary support. She said her association with THP has helped to change her from a timid and shy person to an outspoken person, full of confidence and drive.

Apart from the positive changes that have taken place in Comfort's personal life, her involvement with THP has had significant impact on her family as well. The loans that she has received from THP have enabled her to expand her farming activities which have resulted in increased food production and income. Her annual income, which used to be about GHC 140 (US$110) only, has increased to approximately GHC 1,000 (US$787), including what she earns as the Manager of the community bank. With the increase in her income she provides support to her husband to feed, clothe and educate their children. She has also gained respect in the family and now participates in family meetings.

As the Manager of the community bank, Secretary to the Epicenter Executive Committee and a WEP animator, Comfort plays a key leadership role in her community and has even become a role model for most people, especially young girls. Through WEP educational activities, she has encouraged several parents to send their children to school, particularly the girl children, which has resulted in an increase in the number of girls enrolled in basic schools in her community. She has also contributed to either resolving or referring many marital disputes to the state agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

Comfort is truly an example of how THP's work is empowering women and causing a positive change in their own lives as well as those of their family and community.

Support other women like Comfort - invest now!

Learn more!

• Our work in Ghana.
• The Microfinance Program in Africa.
• Meet other THP partners around the world.

The following are highlights of the last six months from The Hunger Project-Ghana:

1. The Vision, Commitment and Action Workshops (VCAWs) that were organized in partner communities continued to empower them to either initiate new projects or to continue with ongoing projects.

2. A partnership was forged between Nkawanda Epicenter and the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, which resulted in the drilling of a borehole for the epicenter.

3. The Anyansu Epicenter collaborated with the District Assembly and the epicenter leadership in establishing an electricity connection for the epicenter.

4. The Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) has seen an increased number of women expressing an interest in participating in the District Assembly elections to be held later this year.

5. A collaboration with the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) and other civil society organizations has led to the implementation of the second phase of the "We Know Politics Project."

6. A WEP animator in the Besease Epicenter developed a project proposal which received funding from the Global Women and Water Initiative (GWWI) to construct two rainwater harvesting systems for the Primary School and the Junior High School in the Besease community.

Download the full board report (PDF 399.54KB)

In 2006, The Hunger Project (THP) launched one of our most ambitious programs to date: our Scale-Up Initiative in Ghana. The goal: to implement our Epicenter Strategy in Africa on a large enough scale so that it could be proven as a successful, cost-effective and replicable model that could be expanded and adopted by governments in their national development plans.

The project began in Ghana in partnership with the Robertson Foundation, who provided a $5 million grant that was combined with another $4 million in matching funds from other THP investors, to mobilize 36 epicenter communities in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

All 36 epicenters have now been constructed in Ghana and significant progress is being made on all fronts within the epicenter communities in terms of the provision of health care, food production, and access to microfinance services as well as increased capacity as a result of agricultural, health, literacy and other trainings, and more!

For example:

• The epicenters’ health clinics are receiving and treating more than 20,000 people per year in the Eastern Region. Patients are treated for diseases like malaria and dysentery as well as other illnesses and injuries.
• In addition to these services, the health care clinics are providing urgently needed preventive services such as child immunizations and maternal health care. Since 2009, more than 1,500 women per year are now receiving antenatal services.
• To date, more than 17,000 community farmers have been trained in sustainable agriculture methods through THP’s programs in food security. Farmers learn skills to improve their yields, including; soils management, row planting, use of fertilizers, etc.
• Food Production: Farmers' yields and income from crop sales have increased and production costs have decreased during the last season because of improved agricultural methods such as micro-dosing and access to low cost seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. A preliminary report from an impact survey conducted by the Monitoring and Evaluation officer in Ghana shows that many households are using the additional food production for family consumption – contributing to improved household food security.

* Staple crops are maize, cassava and cocoa

• These epicenters have mobilized nearly $60,000 in savings from over 6,300 community members. The average savings balance rose from $7 to 10, a resounding 43 percent growth in savings. Such savings are then used by women to help their families or develop their own businesses.
• THP’s Monitoring & Evaluation has grown in data collection and reporting. Currently THP measures project activities and outputs (i.e. number of workshop participants, people served at the health clinics, kilos stored in the food bank, etc.). With the help of experienced consultants and feedback from THP Program Country staff, a new framework for measuring outcomes and impact is being piloted in Ghana and Malawi. It will be expanded by the end of the year in all THP African Program Countries.

How Are We Doing?

A long-term longitudinal study of the impact of our scale-up program in Ghana has been commissioned by the Robertson Foundation and is being undertaken by a team of academics from Yale University and the University of Ghana through Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). IPA is partnering with THP to conduct an independent, third-party evaluation of the long term-impact of the Epicenter Strategy on health, nutrition, income, gender roles, social cohesion and education. At the end of 2008, baseline household surveys in both THP-mobilized areas and randomly selected comparison areas were completed and a follow-up survey will be completed in 2014. Read more.

What’s Next?

• The Robertson Foundation has approved a new grant to The Hunger Project to provide three additional years of funding to support the 36 epicenters in the Eastern Region of Ghana on their path to self-reliance. This new grant of up to $1.8 million is a challenge match. You will hear more about this in the year ahead.
• THP has hired a Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization Officer in Ghana, who will be spearheading a new advocacy campaign to gain government recognition and support, as well as increased local financial resources.
• We will also continue our conversations with the Government of Ghana following our President and CEO, Mary Ellen McNish’s May 2011 meeting with President Atta Mills.

Last week in Kumasi, Ghana, Country Director for The Hunger Project-Ghana, Dr. Naana Agyemang-Mensah, facilitated a workshop for Ghanaian journalists designed to promote women’s participation in local and national politics. 

More than 20 journalists representing 14 national media outlets attended the workshop as a part of THP-Ghana’s “We Know Politics Project.” The project aims to sensitize journalists to gender issues, common terminology, the role of gender inequality in politics and the power of the media to bring a voice and change to these issues. 

Dr. Naana called for a concerted effort to tackle the under-representation of women in politics, citing Ghana’s parliamentary and assemblies, of which only 10 percent of representatives are women. Women in political positions are adamant in the fight for women’s rights and work to protect the best interests of future generations. Because of this, Dr. Naana appealed to the journalists to use media to rally the nation to combat socio-economic, cultural and religious practices that marginalize women and keep them from taking part in government. 

Workshop topics included: "How reporting can maintain gender sensitivity,""How the media can support the political campaigns of women," and "How the media can promote peaceful elections." This last topic was addressed by a guest speaker from the National Commission for Civic Education, Mr. Alhassan Yakubu (pictured).

Other partners and sponsors of the workshop included the Department for International Development, Federation of International Women Lawyers, the European Union, United States Agency for International Development, WiLDAF, Womenkind Worldwide, and Gender Centre.

Learn More

• THP-Ghana
• Partnering with media to enhance women's leadership

Mr. Shadrack Asante Akwei is 54 years old and a resident farmer at Wankyi under Adomfe Epicenter. He is married with five children. In 2009, during the construction of the Adomfe Epicenter building, Shadrack was deeply involved in the mobilization of resources, such as carrying sand, gravel, stones and providing labor during the digging of a manhole and KVIP toilet pit.

In 2010, Shadrack was nominated by his community members to serve on the THP seven- member committee in the Wankyi Community and then had the opportunity to serve on the Epicenter Committee. His leadership and mobilization skills were improved after he was trained as an animator in 2011. During the election of the epicenter leadership in July 2012, he was elected as Secretary.

Sadrack led Adomfe Epicenter to establish an oil-palm and cocoa nursery project to generate income to support development projects in the area. This initiative was also to help farmers get easy access to improved oil-palm and cocoa seedlings. He has so far contributed in nursing about 10,000 oil-palm seedlings and 6,000 cocoa seedlings. Through the initiative of Shadrack, the epicenter has been able to realize $2,930.60 from the sale of cocoa and oil-palm seedlings to partner farmers. The epicenter nursery project is estimated to generate an income of about GHC 12,150 ($6,190) to support community development projects.

Learn More

• THP-Ghana
• Meet other partners in Africa, South Asia and Latin America

Update to the Global Board
(October 2008)

Executive Summary

Due to continued unfavorable farming conditions, microfinance partners of both African Woman Food Farmer Initiative (AWFFI) and Strategic Planning in Action (SPIA) programs have continued to face challenges repaying their loans on time. As a result, the priority for the first six months of 2008 was to reinforce repayment in all epicenters. With the collaboration of the epicenter and village loan committees, we were able to successfully increase repayment rates from 76 percent in June 2007 to 89.50 percent by June 2008.

Moreover, in all eight program countries, the AWFFI microfinance program has started the registration process to become a member of the national microfinance association. Because of the long registration process, we hope to finalize the membership in all eight countries by the beginning of 2009.

Benin

Details on Progress

By the end of the second quarter of 2007, the cumulative loan disbursement was US$713,558 to 13,720 women partners. By the closing of the second quarter of 2008, the cumulative loan disbursement increased to US$1,134,154 to a total of 16,917 women partners. Meanwhile, a cumulative total of 561 men have been able to access loans in the amount of US$48,461. The cumulative repayment rate for the AWFFI program in Benin stands at 92.10 percent, an increase of 2.58 percent from June 2007, when the repayment rate stood at 89.52 percent.

Based on its success thus far, the AWFFI program in Benin continues to face a challenge in meeting the growing demand for credit from both new and existing partners in epicenters. In particular, at Zakpota Epicenter where over 531 group loans have been disbursed to 9,397 women partners. Even though all the available funds have been disbursed, several partners have taken the initiative to form groups. They are currently waiting for their turn to receive credit.

During the second quarter of 2008, 73 SPIA partners received credit. To date, a total of 561 men have received loans in the amount of US$48,462. The current cumulative repayment rate is 82.68 percent and the average savings per person is around US$28.

Future Plans

In accordance with the new government regulation that requires all credit and savings institutions to register with the Ministry of Finance, the AWFFI program in Benin is currently in the process of finalizing the registration as a lending and deposit-taking institution.

Burkina Faso

Details on Progress

Between June 2007 and June 2008, the cumulative loans disbursed increased from US$440,840 to $637,827. During this time, the cumulative number of women who accessed loans increased from 7,693 to 10,293 partners. By the end of 2008, the cumulative repayment rate was 88.48 percent. The repayment rate in Burkina Faso saw a slight decline of 4.28 percent from the previous year when the repayment rate stood at 92.76 percent.

Meanwhile, by the end of the second quarter under the SPIA program, 376 men partners accessed loans compared to 231 partners from the previous year. The repayment rate for the SPIA program remains strong at 96.08 percent.

Future Plans

Currently, there are five government-recognized banks in Burkina Faso. The objective for the near future is to set-up a learning workshop for board members of all five epicenters. Given their extensive experiences in the administration and management of their rural banks, a workshop that would include all board members will allow them to learn from each others experiences and create a support network for one another to protect them from shortages of revolving capital and help them avoid any possible bankruptcy.

Ethiopia

Details on Progress

By the end of the second quarter in 2007, a total of US$49,340 was disbursed to 908 women. By closing of the second quarter in 2008, the cumulative loans disbursed increased to US$109,114 to 2,075 women partners in four epicenters.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of men accessing credit under the SPIA program increased from 423 in 2007 to 924 partners in 2008. Currently, the repayment rate in Ethiopia stands at 100 percent for AWFFI and 95.18 percent for SPIA respectively.

Future Plans

In order to access credit, as is the case with all our loan requirements, AWFFI partners are required to dig pit latrines and attend literacy classes. Although there has been strong reinforcement on the supervision of pit latrines, partners' literacy class attendance has not been very strong. As a result, in accordance with the global office, The Hunger Project-Ethiopia will be re-engaging with the communities to put in place adult literacy classes for partners.

Ghana

Details on Progress

By June 2007, the cumulative amount of loans disbursed was US$169,354. By June 2008, this figure increased to $220,368. During this time, the total number of women accessing loans increased from 2,270 to 2,891.

Meanwhile, under the SPIA program, the cumulative number of men accessing credit also increased from 688 to 1,030. At the end of June 2008, the cumulative repayment rate had increased from 83.95 percent to 84.76 percent.

Future Plans

With the scale-up taking place in the Eastern Region of Ghana, the AWFFI team in Ghana has worked very hard to train new partners in new epicenters while continuing to meet growing demand by existing partners. To ensure strong loan performance, loan committees' members as well as partners will be undergoing continuous VCAWs to build their capacities. Also, a network of recognized rural banks will be established in order to protect these banks from fund shortages and enhance cross-learning experiences in order to avoid any possible bankruptcies once the epicenters become self-reliant.

Malawi

Details on Progress

Between June 2007 and 2008, the cumulative loans disbursed to women increased from US$208,107 to $208,437. While meeting the growing needs of the existing borrowing women partners, 92 additional women were able to access new credit during the year.

On the other hand, the cumulative number of men partners accessing loans increased from 949 to 1,037. Between the period of June 2007 and 2008, the cumulative repayment rate in Malawi improved significantly, increasing from 77.71 percent to 84.38 percent for AWFFI and from 86.18 percent to 100 percent for SPIA.

Future Plans

With the continued effort to improve the repayment rate, The Hunger Project-Malawi AWFFI team will continue to do more field follow-ups in the coming months. In addition, trainings for the epicenter loan committees and board members of Nsondole government recognized rural bank will also take place in the next quarter.

Mozambique

Details on Progress

From the second quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2008, the cumulative amount disbursed to women increased from US$291,641 to $354,954. During this period, the number of women accessing credit increased from 1,085 to 1,177 partners.

While continuing to meet the growing demand of existing men partners in the SPIA program, the cumulative number of partners accessing credit increased from 99 in June 2007 to 106 in this period in Manhica and Chokwe Epicenters.

Future Plans

In the coming months, there will be continuous effort to recover loans in both Manhica and Chokwe Epicenters. In addition, to revitalize the AWFFI credit program, VCAWs will be held for partners both at the epicenters and village levels.

Senegal

Details on Progress

From June 2007 to June 2008, the cumulative amount of loans disbursed increased from US$217,900 to $313,619. During this period, the cumulative number of women partners also increased from 12,828 to 14,245 partners. Meanwhile, the cumulative repayment rate has also increased from 82.01 percent to 97.01 percent. Through diligent follow-ups and meetings, partners were able to repay their outstanding loans.

Future Plans

Currently, The Hunger Project-Senegal is awaiting information from the Ministry of Finance regarding its application for the recognition of the AWFFI program in the microfinance industry in the country. Meanwhile, workshops will be held for Board members of the three government-recognized rural banks. The objective of the workshop is to allow board members to share their experiences and lessons learned so that they are better equipped to manage their rural banks.

Uganda

Details on Progress

Between the period of June 2007 to June 2008, the cumulative loans disbursement increased from US$158,897 to $166,786. During this period, the cumulative number of women partners accessing loans also increased from 1,082 to 1,688.

In regards to the SPIA program, during the period of June 2007 - June 2008, the cumulative number of men partners also increased from 205 to 378. Also, the cumulative repayment rate increased from 90.84 percent to 93.90 percent.

Future Plans

The microfinance industry in Uganda continues to grow. As a result, more and more funding opportunities are starting to arise for microfinance service providers in the country. One such example is the "Prosperity for All" government program that could provide funding for microfinance institutions, such as The Hunger Project-Uganda. The Hunger Project-Uganda AWFFI staff, in coordination with The Hunger Project government recognized rural bank board members will be doing further research on this possible opportunity. Based on the findings of the cost and opportunities of the program and in accordance with the Global office, The Hunger Project-Uganda will continue to research further partnership possibilities.

Furthermore, during 2009, The Hunger Project-Uganda will put in place a network of recognized rural banks in order to provide both technical and financial support to each other in case of funding shortages during the self-reliance period.

My name is Alhakatu Umaru and I am 43 years old. I joined The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana's Microfinance Program (MFP) in 2006, when I realized how much money I was spending on food. This motivated me to take out a loan with the aim of starting a small farming venture.

Before my contact with THP-Ghana, I had a working capital of GH 300 (US$211) from buying and selling assorted wares: beans, rice and "charley-wotey" (plastic shower sandals). My whole focus was just on this petty trading. All my food items had to be bought -cassava, plantains and gari (grated and fried cassava), among others. This was quite a challenge, and soon I realized that most of my profits from the petty trading were going to buy food for my family's consumption.

After joining THP-Ghana's MFP in 2006, for the first time, I decided to use part of the money to start some small farming, cultivating maize and cassava. The results after just five months were tremendous! Now, our family no longer spends as much on buying maize, vegetables and cassava. Most of the funds that would have gone into buying food are now channeled into my petty trading. This has helped me to increase my working capital to GH 450.00 (US$314). My little investment in farming is making remarkable changes in my food expenses, which continue to go down!

In the next three to five years, I hope to expand the maize and cassava cultivation. I also want my four children to be educated at the Polytechnic School, at least. It's a big task but I hope to achieve it.

Learn More

• THP-Ghana

• Meet other partners in Africa, South Asia and Latin America

Invest in small farmers like Alhakatu!

My name is Agnes Adjei and I am from Anukpenya, Manstekope Epicenter in the Dangbe-East District of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. I am 58 years old and married with five children.

I joined The Hunger Project's Microfinance Program (MFP) in Ghanain 2006. We started with three groups of 28 partners in my community and have now increased to 10 groups of 97 partners. We hold regular meetings, sensitizations and provide regular notifications of loan repayments. No matter how small an amount a partner brings as savings or repayment, I will collect it and do the necessary recordings in their presence, in their respective passbooks and ledger cards. Later, I will send the money to the Epicenter Credit Union Manager.

Under my able leadership, my group continues to make on-time repayments at over a 90 percent success rate.

My community has received four rounds of loans and is always the first to finish repayment at the epicenter. The loans have helped us witness improvement in our lives in diverse ways. Currently, we can farm and dictate the price of our produce to the buyers which was not the case before. In fact, before we were like laborers to the market women in the cities on our own land. They would give us money to farm for them and buy the produce at very low prices to offset the money they gave us. By the time we finished harvesting, sometimes nothing was left for us and we were back to square one. I can say with confidence that currently, my groups are the most cohesive and active in the entire Matsekope Epicenter.

I always encourage them to show love and respect to each other so that we can live in peace. I also settle disputes that are brought before me. The partners love me and I love them as well. All these qualities are mostly attributed to the trainings in leadership skills, credit management and savings offered at the epicenter. The key to the success of any group is leadership by example and that is what binds us together to achieve our set goals.

My wish is to be economically self-reliant and to help our economically active poor women to do the same. This unites us to strive hard and find lasting solutions to our challenges.

Learn More

• Our work in Ghana
• The Microfinance Program in Africa
• Meet other THP partners around the world

Invest in Agnes and thousands of other women leaders like her: Give now!

December 1, 2011 was World AIDS Day– a day when women, men and children of all walks around the world stand together to declare their ongoing commitment to ending the epidemic that is HIV/AIDS. The theme of World AIDS Day 2011 was an ambitions hard-line message:  “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.”

A determined, mass commitment to this message has begun to pay off. Across the globe regular antiretroviral therapies (ART), the use of medications to combat HIV, are proving more effective than ever at extending lives and preventing new infections. Though due in part to increased availability to and quality of medication, it has been the dissemination of information and the breakdown of social stigmas that have made some of the biggest differences in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

In its latest World AIDS Day report How to get to zero: Faster. Smarter. Better. UNAIDS called 2011 a “game-changing year” with “unprecedented progress in science, political leadership and results.” AIDS-related deaths have dropped consistently since 2005 and now fallen to the lowest levels on record. New infection rates are also at a record low and continue to decline due in large part to sexual education initiatives among adults and new WHO-suggested practices resulting in an ever-increasing number of HIV-free newborns. The new-infection rate is now an astounding 21 percent below rates during the peak of the epidemic in 1997. And, as of this last year, nearly 50 percent of all people eligible for ART are now accessing them – the highest percentage ever!

With nearly 70 percent of all people living with HIV residing in sub-Saharan Africa, our partners in Africa are some of the most at-risk communities in the world and taking an empowered personal interest in the continuation of these positive trends. In THP Program Countries, our partners were extremely vocal in their public support of resources for HIV-positive community members. Unwilling to accept old stigmas, they have joined together to raise awareness of the disease not only in their own communities, but among political and government leaders as well. 

Senegal

Our partners in Senegal embraced the “zero” message wholeheartedly in a march and subsequent rally with local leaders. Women and men from the Sam Contor Epicenter community gathered with homemade signs with messages like “ZERO AIDS-related deaths.”  See photos of the event and signs here.

Uganda

Members of Mbarara Epicenter participated in an event organized by the local district government called “Re-engaging leadership in effective HIV prevention.” The event was held in partnership with the Aids Support Organisation (TASO), and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including ICOBI, AIC and MBADINASO. Eleven women leaders from Mbarara Epicenter represented THP at the celebration, which included a quiz on HIV facts, educational songs about life with and treatment of HIV/AIDS, and dramatic role plays reenacting best practices to prevent the spread of the disease. The THP representatives participated in all events and were among the winners of the HIV quiz.

Ghana

In collaboration with the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, the Municipal Directorate of Health and Partners for Africa Community Empowerment (PACE) a local NGO, THP-Ghana marked the day with a procession of more than 200 people through the streets of Nkawkaw, the capital of Kwahu West Municipalitym followed by a gathering to create public awareness about the significance of the day. Participants carried signs saying: "People with aids are just like you,""Avoid casual sex to prevent HIV &AIDS,""Know your status,""Get tested" and more. The Municipal Chief Executive and the Municipal Health Director joined the day’s events.

In her opening remarks, the Municipal Health Director, Ms. Julia Nimo, called for all Ghanaians to take part in fighting HIV/AIDS. Ms. Nimo urged participants to not wait for HIV to disable them before seeking treatment or medication but to get tested immediately at one of the municipality’s many health centers. She reminded participants that HIV/AIDS has no cure but can be managed with ART available at Holy Family Hospital and Atibie Government Hospital.  Ms. Nimo especially stressed that HIV/AIDS is not a curse as a result of misdeeds but rather it is just like any ailment such as malaria. She concluded her speech by educating the crowd on methods of HIV transmission. Specifically she addressed mother-to-child transmission and the work health authorities are doing to curb infection rates. Ms. Nimo appealed to the gathering to go for a test immediately after the program to know their status so as to make an informed decision.                           

Mr. Evans Osei Baah, HIV/AIDS Institutional Coordinator at Holy Family Hospital, then spoke to the crowd to discuss the misconception that many Ghanaians have in thinking that HIV is a distant concept. In the past four years HIV/AIDS cases recorded at Holy Family Hospital alone amount to 338 cases. He said the rate at which people are infected is frightening and suggested that people in the region are living recklessly without considering health risks. Mr. Osei concluded by addressing the youth directly and emphasizing the reality and deadliness of the disease.

Following the speeches, a short sketch was staged by a combined team of AIDS animators and Women’s Empowerment Program (WEP) leaders from the three epicenters in the Kwahu West Municipality: Nkawanda , Nsuta-Aweregya and Odumase-Wawase. The sketch highlighted gender inequalities that make women and girls highly prone to HIV/AIDS infections. It addressed inequalities inherent in child labor, violence against women and girls, discrimination and stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS, and knowing one’s HIV/AIDS status.

After the sketch a WEP animator, Juliana Kwaakyewa from the Nkawanda Epicenter discussed the various themes depicted in the play. She asked us to promote gender equity in the home, especially among children, so that it becomes the natural behavior in the community and allows women the opportunities that they have been denied for the past years.

Some of the audience was so swayed by the sketch that they appealed to the group to conduct similar educational sessions in their own institutions to promote gender equity and curb the spread of HIV. The Animators agreed that all requests would be honored.

The Municipal Chief Executive, the Honorable Alex Somuah Obeng, concluded the day’s events by reminding participants that it will take more than simply the Municipal Assembly or NGOs to stop HIV/AIDS. “It will take the collective effort of everybody to realize this dream.”

He went on to say that one of the root causes of HIV/ AIDS is the lack of parental guidance for children, resulting in uninformed youth and the perpetuation of HIV infections. He urged parents to take care of their children and refrain from using children as laborers. He also touched on the issue of teenage pregnancy, especially among those who have turned to prostitution – something still common in the municipality. He advised the students to stay in school and take their education seriously.

In his closing remarks, Hon. Mr. Obeng assured THP of his support. He asked the THP animators to inform him should they like to organize any educational sessions in the municipality so he may assist with any necessary arrangements.

Testing and counseling was carried out after the program as part of the “Know Your Status” campaign. A total of 61 people – 39 women and 22 men – were tested. Only one woman tested positive. Male condoms were distributed free of charge to the participants and the general public to help curb the spread of the disease in the municipality. A total of 470 male condoms were given out. The program was attended by 512 people – 300 women and 212 men.

Learn More

• Read our 2011 World AIDS Day Statement
• See photos from the events in Senegal and Ghana
• Read the 2011 World AIDS Day Report - How to get to zero: Faster. Smarter. Better.
• Read the 2010 World AIDS Day report

Each year, The Hunger Project joins billions of people around the world in celebrating International Women's Day (IWD) to honor and raise a voice for women around the world. Particularly relevant given recent violent acts against women, this year's IWD theme was “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.” On March 8, 2013, thousands of women and men partnered with The Hunger Project around the world to advocate for equality, prosperity and empowerment for all women. Here we highlight some of the most powerful demostrations as reported by our global partners.

PROGRAM COUNTRIES

Bangladesh

THP-Bangladesh and the Girl Child Forum jointly observed International Women Day 2013 at more than 400 places throughout Bangladesh. The central event was organized in Dhaka and was followed by a huge rally (pictured above), discussion meeting and award giving ceremony. The rally was opened by Meher Afroj Chumki, Member of Parliament (M.P.) and President of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Ministry of Women and Child Affairs. Nearly 1,000 women, men and children representative of 35 organizations joined the rally which ran from the Teacher-Student Center of Dhaka University to the Shisu Academy (National Child Academy).

After the rally, participants joined a discussion meeting chaired by Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Country Director and President of the Girl Child Forum. Meher Afroj Chumki M.P. was the Chief Guest. At the meeting, the Girl Child Forum presented awards to two distinguished women for their significant expertise and achievements in respective fields. The honorable awardees were Zobera Rahman Linu and Sara Afreen.

Zobera Rahman Linu is a respected public figure in Bangladesh, a Guinness World Record holder as national table tennis champion 16 times consecutively, and a former Ambassador for UNICEF. Sara Afreen is an architect and filmmaker. Amongst a handful of young upcoming Women Producers from Bangladesh, Sara is the first Bangladeshi to graduate from European Audio Visual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) and was awarded full scholarships from European Commission’s Media Program Fund (Media Mundus) and France’s National Center of Cinematography and the moving image (CNC). Through her passion for filmmaking she has been an avid activist by organizing programs like Hope, an open film screening program for under-privileged school kids; Filmy-Bahas, an open platform form film dialogue; Traveling Film South Asia, a documentary film festival featuring South Asian films; and Shadhinota, a film festival in the spirit of independence.

Mexico

THP-Mexico celebrated International Women's Day by organizing a dialogue among our community partners from two regions: San Luis Potosi and Chiapas.

On March 8th over 70 women from San Luis Potosi attended a dialogue on gender equality for the first time in their life. The women of the communities of Pukte and la Pimienta made several important distinctions about the importance of women in the decision making of the community, and about the value of their voice and participation.

At the end of the meeting the women were able to express that "we feel we've got rid of a weight in our hearts because we found that men and women are equal before the law and are worth the same."

In Chiapas, the women of the cooperative J'pas Joliviletik who have worked with The Hunger Project since 2009, celebrated International Women's Day with a dialogue on violence against women, inviting their husbands and children, giving them a share of the process of being empowered women leaders.

For our partners in Chiapas, it was extremely important to include their spouses and children as they strongly believe that only together can they achieve their vision of having a community free from hunger and poverty.

Peru

Tarcila Rivera Zea, president of CHIRAPAQ Centre for Indigenous Cultures of Peru, was awarded by the Ladies Committee of the Congress for her constant efforts and dedication to service for her community. The award was given to enterprising women leaders and fighters as part of the celebration of International Women's Day.

"Women have an array of functions for the good of the family, society and the interests of the nation,"said Narda Eguren, president of the Committee, during a ceremony held in the auditorium of the Legislature Sánchez Carrión.

CHIRAPAQ builds the capacity of indigenous women leaders, many of whom have held public office in their communities, as well as of the regional and government organizationsactively involved in the national and international indigenous movement.

Read the full story of Tarcila's award on CHIRAPAQ's website.

Burkina Faso

At Bissiga Epicenter, women's groups, student groups and epicenter leadership gathered to honor International Women's Day with a day of bicycle races, dancing and speeches.

Check out more AMAZING photos from the day!

Ghana

THP-Ghana partnered with the National Commission for Education (NCCE) to create awareness on IWD and its relevance as this special day for women. The sensitization covered a historical background to the celebration of IWD and the adoption of March 8 as a day set aside by the UN to recognize women’s achievement, and looked back on past struggles and accomplishment as well as prospects for the future. The opportunity was used to condemn all forms of violence against women and girls, adding that there had not been any development initiative or achievement that is without the contribution of women.

THP organized a community meeting at Nsuta-Aweregya Epicenter with THP staff, Heads of Departments, Women's Empowerment Program Animators, Chiefs, Queen mothers and teachers to address young girls from Aweregya basic schools. Speakers shared about various challenges women face and discussed the opportunities available to girls to grow into women leaders in the future and to help develop their families, communities, the country and the world as a whole.

A total of 139 people, mostly girl students, participated in the day's meeting.

Download the full report of the day's speeches (pdf 664.78kb)

PARTNER COUNTRIES

The Netherlands

In The Netherlands, we had a great Ladies First week – runningup to International Women's Day. Ladies First was our week-long women-focused campaign mainly organized by our volunteers and sponsors, which included a nationwide ‘women’s snack’ sale, a women’s kickboxing fundraiser event (Power Women), men offering flowers to honor strong women at a hockey match, an online and offline Candy Girl chocolate sale, a film event and discussion about strong women in India, and THP-Netherlands Country Director Evelijne Bruning speaking on women’s day on the national television's most popular day-time show for women. The campaign also featured a sponsor-designed campaign material and a sponsor-built dedicated website that featured stories of THP partners Céline from Benin and Rajwanti from India.

Sweden

In Sweden, volunteers participated in a joint event with Ladyfest and Amnesty International in Gothenburg at the Museum of world Culture. And the Malmö International Friends of the Hunger Project organized a lunch for volunteers with raffles and prizes!

Learn More

• See photos from each of these fantastic events on THP's Flickr page

Below is a table outlining the detailed achievements that took place in each epicenter during the period October 2007-March 2008. This report was submitted to the Global Board of Directors in preparation for the April 2008 meeting. The report refers to the four phases of the Epicenter Strategy. Learn more about the phases of the Epicenter Strategy and how it works.

*Note: Some epicenter phases have been revised since the October 2007 report.

Participation in Agricultural Training of Trainers (ToTs)
Training Workshops - 2008

Update to the Global Board
(April 2009)

Overview

In line with The Hunger Project's (THP's) objective to increase food production and security, farmers have been supplied with 3,884 kg of maize seeds and 834 bags of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium) and ammonia fertilizers to cultivate 485.5 acres of maize farms, which are expected to yield approximately 252,460 kg.

A total of 976 women received GHC 76,360 (US$60,126) in loans for the expansion of income-generating activities, particularly farming as compared to 595 women receiving GHC 46,800 (US$36,850) in the previous six months under the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative (AWFFI) microfinance program. The extension of the credit scheme to new epicenters in the Eastern Region largely accounts for the increase in the amount disbursed and the number of recipients.

Construction of the eight "year three" epicenter buildings (i.e. epicenter buildings to be completed during the third year of our grant from the Robertson Foundation) is progressing satisfactorily and is expected to be completed by June 2009. Some of the buildings have reached window level while others are even at the lintel level.

The expansion of THP-Ghana's activities under the scale-up program has resulted in the training of many more animators who are themselves reaching out to an increased number of people in the communities. For example, the number of people who participated in Vision, Commitment and Action Workshops (VCAW) increased from 8,916 in the previous period to 22,835 in the current reporting period. The Women Empowerment Project (WEP) animators also reached 12,400 people as compared to 9,568 in the previous period while the HIV/AIDS animators sensitized 12,837 people compared with the 11,387 previously reached.

The number of children attending child welfare clinics for weighing and immunization increased from 3,806 in the previous period to 4,616 as a result of the increasing number of epicenter clinics, especially in the Eastern Region where the scale up program is being implemented. A total of 98 babies were safely delivered compared with the 60 in the previous six months. The 12 epicenter clinics recorded 3,865 out-patients as compared to 2,828 in the previous period.

One of the key challenges has been the limited capacity of the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to provide health personnel, drugs and equipment to all the new epicenters that have been completed. Therefore, they can not ensure efficient delivery of health care services at the epicenter clinics. However, efforts are being made to overcome this problem through strengthening of THP's collaboration with the Ghana Health Service at the national level.

Details on Progress

Food Production and Security Improved

As the next major farming season approaches, the Agricultural trainers of trainers (TOTs) have educated 5,944 farmers (2,963 males and 2,971 females) in 142 partner communities. The farmers were educated on pest control, application of fertilizers and weedicides, as well as effective maize storage techniques with the aim to promote increased food production and security.

A total of 2,435.5 bags of 100 kg each (243,550 kg in total) of maize was harvested from 480 acres of farm cultivated by the partners with input support from THP during the farming season in 2008. Maize production per acre increased from 4.02 bags (402 kg) in 2007 to 5.2 bags (520 kg) as a result of the improved methods of farming being adopted by the farmers. A total of 3,884 kg of maize seeds and 834 bags of NPK and ammonia fertilizers have been supplied to partner farmers for the cultivation of 485.5 acres of new maize farms this year, which are expected to yield approximately 252,460 kg.

The existing 18 epicenter food banks were stocked with a total of 221.5 bags (22,150 kg) of maize.

Epicenter Buildings Constructed

The eight epicenter buildings earmarked for construction in the third year of the scale up program are ongoing at different stages of construction and are expected to be completed by June 2009. The buildings are being constructed at the following epicenters: Osonson, Dorminase, Otuater, Anyansu, Asenema, Abehenase/Atobriso, Darmang and Kokobeng.

The mobilization of eight communities for the construction of epicenter buildings in the fourth year is in progress.

Awareness increased through VCAWs

Community-level VCAWs were organized in 378 communities, which covered 22,835 people comprising 11,289 males and 11,546 females.

District-level VCAWs were organized in the three remaining new districts in the Eastern Region (Akwapim South, Yilo Krobo and Kwahu North), which covered 400 people from 112 communities.

VCAW animator-initiated projects supported

During the reporting period, the following communities were supported to complete kindergarten school buildings that they had initiated: Afabeng, Akotekrom, Otaipro, Zevor, Dademantse, Besease and Ofoasekuma, all in the Eastern Region.

HIV/AIDS awareness increased

Thirty-one new HIV/AIDS animators were trained, bringing the total number of animators trained so far to 162. The trained animators reached 12,837 people, including 7,181 females (54%) in 146 communities, educating them on the causes and prevention of the disease and highlighting the role of gender inequality in its spread. The number of people targeted to be reached was exceeded by 8%.

Gender awareness increased (WEP)

The WEP Animators carried out education on the civic, legal and reproductive health rights of women. They also organized education programs to enhance voter knowledge on the nuances of elections under the "We Know Politics Project," which was implemented in partnership with Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF). The animators reached 12,400 people (5,076 males and 7,324 females) in 257 communities. The animators exceeded their target by 71%, mainly due to the voter education programs that were organized. Forty-four new WEP Animators, as compared to 40 that were targeted, have just completed the second in the series of three training workshops.

Partner communities assisted to improve their incomes through microfinance

A total loan of GHC 76,350 (US$60,118) was disbursed to 976 women as compared to GHC 21,389 (US$16,842) that was disbursed to 397 men to support increased income generation under the microfinance program. About 90% of the loans were disbursed to farmers to enable them to expand and intensify their farming activities.

Maternal and child mortality reduced

Child Welfare Clinic attendance recorded at 12 epicenter clinics was 4,527 comprising 2,393 females and 2,134 males. The children were weighed and immunized against the childhood killer diseases (i.e. polio, measles, TB, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis ‘B' haemophilus, influenza type ‘B' and yellow fever). Ninety-eight babies (51 females and 47 males) were safely delivered at the clinics. The epicenter clinics recorded 687 ante-natal patients during the reporting period.

Malaria and other diseases reduced

The epicenter clinics recorded 3,865 out-patients, of which 45% were malaria cases. This represents a 5% drop in reported malaria cases at the clinics as compared to the previous reporting period.

Partnerships

• In an effort to strengthen THP's partnership with local government and to advocate national recognition of the Epicenter Strategy as an effective approach to rural development, the Country Director (CD) met with the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development. The CD briefed the Minister on THP's activities and how they are impacting the lives of people in the rural areas. The Minister expressed interest in collaborating with THP, which would the leverage required to take forward the partnership agenda.
• In accordance with the existing partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Health Personnel, some equipment and drugs were supplied to the new epicenters in the Eastern Region including Supreso, Nkawanda, Ankoma, Wawase, Akotekrom and Kyeremase. As part of THP's effort to strengthen partnership with the GHS, the CD met with the Director General of the GHS to brief him on our development activities generally and the Community Health Improvement Program in particular. They also discussed priority areas of collaboration based on the challenges facing the Health Program which include the limitations in the supply of Health Personnel, equipment and drugs to the new epicenters that are being constructed.
  
• During the period under review, THP collaborated with the following government departments and NGOs to train new animators, especially in the Eastern Region where the scale up program is being implemented:
  
  • Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) - for the training of 31 HIV/AIDS animators;
  • Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) - for the training of 44 WEP animators; and
  • Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) - for the training of 40 Agricultural TOTs.

Broader Awareness and Advocacy

• A feature article was published in the Daily Graphic, Ghana's most read newspaper (October 16, 2008) on the "We Know Politics Projects" which was implemented in partnership with WILDAF, Gender Center, CoWIG and FIDA-Ghana. The article covered an interview with the CD on the objectives of the project. The project aimed at increasing the participation of women in Ghana's 2008 general elections and to ensure that the concerns of women were taken on board by the Presidential and Parliamentary aspirants.
• A campaign that was organized in Matsekope Epicenter on "Violence Against Women" was given coverage by a local FM station (Radio Ada) on December 11, 2008, highlighting the various types of violence against women and their effects. The campaign was organized as part of the worldwide celebration of "16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women" by women and gender activists.
• A delegation of the Ghana Chapter of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), which included the CD of THP, met with Ghana's newly elected President to congratulate him on winning the election and to discuss critical issues affecting women. The President assured the delegation that he would empower the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General's Department to review laws and practices that are inhumane and discriminate against women. He also reaffirmed his government's commitment to appointing 40% of women in his administration. The meeting with the President was reported by the print and electronic media including GTV and the Daily Graphic on February 5, 2009.
• The Daily Graphic, published a feature article entitled "Combating Violence Against Women - The Role of The Hunger Project" in the March 10, 2009 edition. This article highlighted the campaigns organized by THP in the Matsekope and Kyempo Epicenters to mark the worldwide celebration of "16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women" in December 2008.
• On March 16, 2009 the Daily Graphic reported on a durbar organized by THP in the Kwaboadi Epicenter to mark the celebration of International Women's Day. At this durbar, the CD, Dr. Naana Agyemang-Mensah called for behavioral change, particularly among men, to end the culture of violence against women.
• The CD held two important meetings with key government officials during the reporting period. The first one was with the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on March 17, 2009. The objective was to brief the Director General on THP's Community Health Improvement Program. The second meeting was with the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on March 24, 2009. The CD briefed the Minister on THP-Ghana's activities and their impact on people living in rural communities in Ghana. She highlighted partnership with local government as one of the key pillars of THP's work. The two government officials were impressed with THP's work and achievements in Ghana.

Recent Innovations

The fast growing number of epicenter buildings, especially in the Eastern Region, has resulted in an increased demand for health personnel, drugs and equipment, which has strained the local authority's capacity. Having realized the difficulty in getting the DHMTs to respond adequately to our needs, we have decided to extend our partnership with the GHS beyond the district level to the national level. It is in light of this that the CD met with the Director General of the GHS to brief him on THP's programs generally and the Health Improvement Program in particular with the view to seeking his assistance in staffing and equipping the epicenter clinics.

Impact Assessment

The main focus of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process during the period was to analyze the data generated by our trained village-based M&E animators. These trained animators had, in the earlier reporting period, collected a wide range of data through household surveys; conducted focus group discussions; held key informant interviews; and collected data from institutions like schools, clinics and the village-based TBAs. This generated a lot of data, and we began a manual process of analyzing the data. A simple software program was designed to facilitate data entry with the help of volunteers at the head office. The data entry process has been completed and the analysis has begun in order to arrive at conclusions that will be fed into the global M&E system/website.

The M&E officer plans to organize further training for the project officers, their assistants and secretaries to enter all data from the field in the data entry software so that the work at the M&E department at the head office will be expedited in the process of data entry, analysis and reporting. Data collection instruments have been revised and, in the coming quarter, arrangements will be made to give refresher training to all the animators to begin another round of major data collection.

In terms of building partnerships, the project officers are collaborating with personnel at the health institutions to regularly provide relevant health data as part of the data collection process. Reporting formats have been designed to enable the health personnel to provide relevant data.

Future Plans

The following objectives will be pursued in the next six months (April-September 2009):

• The construction of eight "year three" epicenter buildings completed;
• The construction of eight "year four" epicenter buildings initiated;
• 14 epicenter clinics provided with health personnel, drugs and equipment;
• Review workshops organized for TBAs (68), Agric TOTs (135), WEP animators (80) and HIV/AIDS animators (90);
  
• VCAWs organized to train 23,000 people;
• 9,500 people reached with HIV/AIDS education;
• 10,300 people reached with WEP education; and
• Refresher training organized for M&E animators and program staff on the M&E processes.
  

Theresa Sekyere is a farmer from the Obenyemi Epicenter in Ghana and has two children. For several years she has cultivated approximately one acre of maize each year and obtained less than two bags of harvest (6 kg). Unable to expand her resources, she derived very low output and income from her farm. Working with The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana, Theresa was able to access microfinance services, which allowed her to purchase the materials and land necessary to cultivate a larger farm.

Since aquiring new land, Theresa has participated in a number of sensitization sessions organized by the Agricultural Trainers of Trainers (TOTs). They aim to raise awareness about the need to adopt improved agricultural practices for higher yields and increased income. As a result she adopted many of the recommended practices, such as row planting, fertilizer application and timely weed control.

This year, THP-Ghana supplied her with inputs and, together with the credit she received from the Microfinance Program, she was able to increase the size of her maize farm from one to five acres with an anticipated yield of 30 bags (3,000 kg). With the additional income, Theresa will be able to pay her children's school fees and maintain a self-sufficient farm.

Theresa had this to say: "Farming is my life and I am happy to be able to expand my farm size with the microfinance, inputs and agricultural education I obtained from THP-Ghana. This will surely increase my yield per acre this year and enable me to take care of my children in school. I see this change as a miracle coming my way since this year's yield is going to compensate for all the lost years."

Learn more!

• Our work in Ghana.
• The Microfinance Program in Africa.
• Meet other THP partners around the world.

In commemoration of International Women's Day 2010, The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana organized a National Rural Forum under the theme "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All," which was held on March 5, 2010 at the Odumase-Wawase Epicenter in Kwahu West Municipality.

The forum gathered program animators, epicenter representatives, program partners, members of the press and THP-Ghana staff to deliberate on their grassroots efforts and identify the emerging evidence of women's and girls' access to equal rights and opportunities.

Participants' discussions revealed some positive gains in their communities, including:

• Women's emerging capacity to participate in sexual decision-making, especially in the use of condoms, even by married couples.
• The emerging opportunities being offered women at the community level to participate in local decision-making bodies, as well as in the Chiefs' Courts.
• The acceptance of parents to assign domestic chores to both their male and female children.
• A small but impressive increasing in the number of girls advancing into Senior High School beyond the previous zero in many communities.

Participants also, however, noted several economic, educational, health, political and socio-cultural challenges, for which they identified areas for urgent action.

Read the full communique from the forum (PDF 143.57 KB).

Read THP's Statement on International Women's Day 2010

Comfort Nyame (on the left speaking with women from her epicenter community), 52, is a widow with four children from the Oboadze community near Taido Epicenter. She was initially trained by The Hunger Project (THP)-Ghana as a Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) animator in 2002 and later as a Daycare Attendant. After her training, Comfort worked for the Daycare Center in her community on a voluntary basis until 2009, when the Ghana Education Service recruited her as a paid staff member and put her in charge of the Center.

Thanks to her efforts, the Center was awarded assistance as a beneficiary school under the Ghana National School Feeding program, greatly enhancing the consistency and nutritional value of the meals provided to children at the Center. As a result of her devotion to community work, Comfort has been appointed Secretary of the Taido Epicenter Credit Committee and Deaconess of the Oboadze Pentecost Church, a position through which she will have to the power to reach hundreds of women with WEP awareness activities within and beyond her district.

Besides her work as a community leader and Daycare Attendant, Comfort makes soap and batik tie-dye. She acquired these craft skills after participating in a training workshop organized by THP-Ghana for WEP animators after the completion of their WEP training. Selling these products within her community, Comfort has used the additional income to wire her home with electricity. Recently, she told an audience: “THP has made me what I am today.”

Learn More

• THP-Ghana
• The Epicenter Strategy in Africa
• Meet other partners in Africa, South Asia and Latin America