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Advocacy GHANA
In January 2007, at the request of the Paramount Chief, Nana Dapa (who divides his time between Washington state and Ghana), a vision team spent three days in Bamboi, a village of approximately 8,000.. At the conclusion of the visit, the WAF team assessed needs in the area and developed a strategy to send a Ghanaian advocacy team to facilitate a series of workshops related to social, health, empowerment and education issues.
A team of five developing professionals, led by Angela M. (a senior social work major at the University of Ghana), made plans to present the first workshop to the women of Bamboi, in March 2007. Partnering with Unicef in Accra, the team of five advocates (four social work and counseling majors and one registered nurse) put together a series of sessions addressing pre and post-natal care, and health and nutritional training for mothers. Arriving several days early, the team met with village leaders and went out into the homes of the villagers to invite them to the sessions. Being Ghanaian opened the doors, minds and hearts of the villagers.
At the first session, over 150 Bamboi women attended the event. At the second session, the group numbered well over 200! At a third session, the team distributed food mills to attending mothers, teaching them to grind healthy food for their babies. Thanks to the sponsorship of a U.S. NGO, the team was able to prepare (with local hired women) and host a lunch for hundreds of Bamboi women and children.
So, in a time when dollars don’t stretch far, we ask: “What does $750 (US) buy?” WAF is thrilled to share that in our Bamboi advocacy program, $750 sends a team of five developing professionals eight hours away from home, into a remote village for five days. It covers all their transportation, meals and lodging. It buys teaching materials, visual aids, baby food grinders, and lunch for hundreds! It impacts an entire village!
For the upcoming year, World Advocacy Foundation (WAF) has committed to and secured funding for two additional workshop sessions. In 2008, the advocacy team will address an issue of great concern in the village: tribal taboos. There is a great sense of fear and superstition around these age-old tribal taboos, that trap the villagers in patterns of ongoing abuse and dysfunction.
WAF is currently exploring the possibility of sending a team of social worker/advocates as interns for a one-year commitment in Bamboi in 2008. Contact Us to find out how you can help empower and equip advocates making a difference in Ghana.
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