The case of Ulkpong Bakonoyiri women

Statistics from GLSS showed that in 2008 the Upper West region was listed as the poorest region in Ghana with 9 out of every 10 people living on less than a dollar a day.  Women constitute 51% of the population of the region and are the poorest among the poor. Their economic vulnerability is manifested in denial of their education, poor health care, their lack of ownership and control of productive resources like land, machines etc and reduced involvement and participation in decision making at the family and community level.

The national picture is as follows: at the local government level, there are only 48 women represented at the Assembly out of 320 assembly persons and out of the 10 members of parliament from the region only one is a woman (MP for Sissala East). Of District Chief Executives again only 1 out of the total of 9 is a female.

Realizing the high poverty among women in Ulkpong located in the Jirapa District (an AAG sponsorship community), ActionAid is intervening with livelihood projects targeted at the women. One such project challenges the existing stereotype that only men should manage and run grinding mills. Directly challenging culture, AAG provided one grinding mill for the women to reduce their workload, and to provide income for the women who run it.

 When the grinding mill was introduced although the men did not openly object, they showed their disapproval by withdrawing and adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude, convinced that the women would fail.

However, the Ulkpong Bakonoyiri women have since performed creditably- demonstrating that women are capable of managing productive resources/projects better. The provision of a grinding mill in 2006 and a piggery project (funded by UNDP) were managed extremely efficiently by the 20 women belonging to the Ulkpong Bakonoyiri women. The group was so successful that they were able to save enough from their milling activities to put down the deposit required by the Jirapa District Assembly to acquire an additional mill at a subsidized rate. This was something a lot of women are unable to do because they had no way of getting the deposit amount.

Building on the piggery project, using the proceeds from selling some of the pigs, the women bought sheep as an additional initiative specifically for their Muslim sisters who could not rear pigs .The group has also diversified into the trading in groundnuts.

AA’s intervention has caused a cultural shock by proving that women have the ability to succeed in areas originally perceived as the preserve of males such as operating grinding mills and rearing of sheep and pigs instead of only poultry.

Women in Ulkpong are now able to improve their economic status through the many interventions they run and are therefore able to play a pivotal role in the family, including providing the educational and health needs of their children. Madam Asana a 48 year old member of the women group said:

“At the beginning it was hard for us as women. Our progress was perceived to be a threat to our husbands. My husband for instance remarked that I ‘now want to manage facilities, get money and control the family - but that would not happen in his house!’ Interestingly, his attitude and perception of women’s empowerment changed when ActionAid held a sensitization meeting with the entire community in which he participated. The officials from AAG explained that support to women was to reduce their over dependence on the men and improve the wellbeing of the family. The men were therefore encouraged to give physical and moral support to their women. The suspicion, scorning and sometimes beating by my husband has ceased due to the contribution I make in the family. He now sees me as a co equal in decision-making in the family. We are a happy family now”.

The power shift has given the opportunity to the women in Ulkpong to contribute effectively at community meetings. Hitherto, women were to be seen and not heard.

They respect our decisions because we contribute so much for the up keep of our families. I sometimes give my husband GHc1.00 as pocket money and he appreciates it so much. Why would he then be against me?

These were the words of Madam Felicity Achim, the leader of the women’s group.

Now that the group is economically empowered, AAG will continue to monitor their activities use them as a demonstration centre and role models for other women’s groups to learn best practices.