SWIDA – Ghana Calls for Increased Empowerment for Women to help in Limiting Community Spread of COVID – 19

Executive Director of the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency SWIDA Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito Sa-eed has advocated the empowerment of Ghanaian women in the campaign against community infections of the novel corona virus pandemic in the country.

She believes women are front line managers of the family and therefore, it is critical for them to be given the necessary attention in the fight of COVID-19.

She argued that the role of the woman in this global crisis cannot be understated; stating that when the women are equipped with the right information about the disease, they take personal responsibilities to protect members of their family.

According to Hajia Sagito, the women are seen as managers of the home because they provide every other thing that is used as Personal Protection Equipment in combating the virus at the household level.

She added that “soap most often is being provided by the woman”.

“So we expect if the woman understand how soap can break the chain of transmission, then the woman would be able to use that understanding and take personal responsibility to protect the family. It becomes critical for women to perform that role”

“If the women understand the essence of why they need to break the chain by not participating in social gatherings, then it makes a lot of meaning, then they will be able to interpret why children and their husbands should not do that and because they all understand the protocols, no one will take the risk to contract the disease” she stated further.

The SWIDA Ghana Director made these remarks to the custodianghonline.com at Jisonayili in the Sagnarigu Municipality, when RAFELA – GHANA organized an outreach programme to educate market women on the corona virus pandemic.

President of RAFELA – GHANA, Hajia Mariam Iddrisu who is also the Chief Executive for Sagnarigu Municipality together with her team donated some Personal Protection Equipment to the local women to prevent the spread of the virus whist they undertake their economic activities.

Following the intervention of the Women Network for Africa, Hajia Sagito Sa-eed commended the President and her team for the gesture, as they encouraged the women to be ambassadors in this fight at their respective households and communities. 

“We are saying that we don’t want women to breakdown in this fight, we need women to lead this fight at their households and communities to ensure that as they are healthy, they can also be economically strong; so we must give the right information, the kind of confidence they need in them and adequate resources to support the campaign” Hajia Alima Sagito emphasized.

SWIDA – Ghana Commemorates World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2020

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, SWIDA Ghana has made distribution of some menstrual hygiene materials and basic PPE, as it partners other stakeholders to celebrate this year’s menstrual hygiene day.

The distribution of the materials and the basic PPE were made to young people of Dingoni in the Nanton District.

Every May 28, nonprofits, government agencies, the private sector, the media, and individuals come together to celebrate Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) and advocate for the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM).

This year, MH Day recognizes that periods do not stop for pandemics and will continue to drive home the idea “It’s Time for Action“.

This theme highlights the urgency for the collective work needed to both change the negative social norms surrounding menstruation and also catalyze progress toward empowering women and girls to unlock their educational and economic opportunities.

Over 800 million women and girls menstruate every day, yet across the globe they face barriers to properly managing their periods.

The social stigmas and taboos surrounding menstruation often prevent women and girls from attending work and school.

Even when they do attend while menstruating, the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, lack of sanitation infrastructure such as private toilets and hand washing facilities, and lack of menstrual hygiene education can prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential in the classroom, in the workplace, and at home.

As part of its activities to ensuring the spread of the COVID – 19 is limited, the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency handed to a number of boys and girls, nose masks and hand sanitizers to aid them keep to the basic safety protocols the World Health Organization and the Government of Ghana have been pushing.

Rural communities have mostly been left out in the drive and education for social distancing and other protocols, making it difficult for people in those areas to change their attitude.

Speaking after the distribution of the menstrual materials and COVID – 19 preventive items, the Executive Director for SWIDA, Hajia Alimah Sagito Saeed called on all to contribute to helping “positively to stop the spread and get ourselves back to normal soonest”.

She added that it has become necessary for communities and individuals to adjust to the new ways of doing thing due to the pandemic, but must be conscious of what we do and how we do them.

SWIDA – Ghana admonishes the public to support families of Patients with COVID – 19 to help break the chain of Stigmatization

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, SWIDA Ghana is calling on the Ghanaian public to not stigmatize against persons who have tested positive for COVID – 19.

This has been a major part of SWIDA Ghana’s campaign in its intervention activities on helping minimize the spread of the virus.

The organization has embarked on several activities since COVID – 19 was declared a pandemic and since the Ghana government announced measures and protocols that the public must observe to limit spread.

In the project funded by STAR-Ghana Foundation and being implemented in three MMDA jurisdictions in the Northern Region; Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu and Sagnarigu Municipalities, SWIDA Ghana has raised an objective to inform as many people as possible on the need to adhere to the safety protocols announced by the WHO and Ghana government for COVID – to be contained.

Key among these activities are radio and Television shows where SWIDA Ghana has been partnering some individuals, state agencies and other stakeholders to inform and educate people on the need to adhere to the safety measures for general public safety.

Various topics have been carefully chosen and designed based on suitability and communal context and being discussed on Might FM in Savelugu, Savannah Radio and Sagani Television both in Tamale.

The topics include but not limited to, nutrition, livelihoods, stigmatization and others.

Special attention is also being given to the protection of children and how they understand the difficult times in which the world finds itself, as well as how they could be helped to adjust to it in terms of education and general living.

Pupils from the Pong Tamale Experimental School in the Savelugu Municipality were prepared by the team and made to stage role plays on radio and TV to depict what society is expected to do and how it should deal with especially the issues of stigmatization against patients with COVID – 19.

The team at SWIDA Ghana consisting the Executive Director and other staff together with other stakeholders including teachers of various schools across the Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu and Sagnarigu Municipalities, took turns on radio and TV to draw attention to very important aspects of issues surrounding COVID – 19.

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency, SWIDA Ghana is calling on the Ghanaian public to not stigmatize against persons who have tested positive for COVID – 19.

This has been a major part of SWIDA Ghana’s campaign in its intervention activities on helping minimize the spread of the virus.

The organization has embarked on several activities since COVID – 19 was declared a pandemic and since the Ghana government announced measures and protocols that the public must observe to limit spread.

Key amongst these activities are radio and Television shows where SWIDA Ghana has been partnering some individuals, state agencies and other stakeholders to inform and educate people on the need to adhere to the safety measures for general public safety.

Various topics have been carefully chosen based on suitability and communal context and being discussed on Might FM in Savelugu, Savannah Radio and Sagani Television both in Tamale.

The topics include but not limited to, nutrition, livelihoods, stigmatization and others.

Special attention is also being given the protection of children and how they understand the difficult times in which the world finds itself, as well as how they could be helped to adjust to it in terms of education and general living.

Pupils from the Pong Tamale Experimental School in the Savelugu Municipality were prepared by the team and made to stage role plays on radio and TV to depict what society is expected to do and how it should deal with especially the issues of stigmatization against patients with COVID – 19.

The team at SWIDA Ghana consisting the Executive Director and other staff together with other stakeholders including teachers of various schools across the Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu and Sagnarigu Municipalities.

Life After COVID -19

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency recognizes the fact that COVID – 19 has come to live with us, thus, our efforts to want to live with it must be important to us if we want to live as a people.

To this end, the organization is looking beyond the fight to contain the virus in our communities, as it empowers farmers with information and new approaches to recovery when COVID – 19 simmers and things get back to normal.

As an organization that has so much interest in the farewell of women especially in the rural communities, SWIDA Ghana reached out to one hundred women, thirty young people with support on new agricultural technologies to enhance their farming practices in these difficult times and beyond.

The organization also reached out with some support to aged persons to help them keep up and not feel left alone, as the whole world battles and pandemic.

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency recognizes the fact that COVID – 19 has come to live with us, thus, our efforts to want to live with it are to be taken seriously if we want to live as a people.

To this end, the organization is looking beyond the fight to contain the virus in our communities, as it empowers farmers with information and new approaches to recovery when COVID – 19 simmers and things get back to normal.

As an organization that has so much interest in the farewell of women, SWIDA Ghana reached out to one hundred women, thirty young people with support on new agricultural technologies to enhance their farming practices in these difficult times and beyond.

The organization also reached out with some support to aged persons to help them keep up and not feel left alone, as the whole world battles a difficult pandemic.

SWIDA – Ghana’s Women Forum in Savannah Region Calls for Enabling Environment for Women Leaders to Excel

Women leaders in the Savannah Regional have been sharing some of the challenges confronting them as they manouvre the difficult routes of leadership in a system that identifies only the man to lead.

The Women Forum which was held at the Municipal Assembly Hall in Damongo, November, 2020, brought together 60 participants including Queen mothers and leaders of various women groups within the Savannah Region.

Municipal Chief Executive for West Gonja, Hon. Saeed Muhazu Jibreel Jegede who was present at the forum, showed gratitude to SWIDA – Ghana and partners for putting women at the centre of their programming.

The forum, hosted by SWIDA – Ghana on behalf of NETRIGHT – Gh and funded by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), provided women leaders and young girls in the Savannah Region the needed platform to share the problems they face living and leading in Ghana’s stereotypical society.

Child Protection was at the centre of the discussion, which all stakeholders agreed needed attention to deal with.

Executive Director for SWIDA – Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito – Saeed after giving a basic introduction of NETRIGHT to the participants, encouraged the women groups to join bigger coalitions so that their concerns can be highlighted beyond their immediate reach.

She called on them to not allow anything or anyone stand in their way when it comes to issues of their rights. She was however quick to add that rights always go with responsibilities, as such, they need to first let people understand why they are taking the decisions they take to avoid uncessary confrontations.

As part of the event package was a radio discussion on a local radio station in Damongo; PAD FM, where the team of organizers, led by SWIDA – Ghana marched to further raise the issues of concern to women leaders and girls in the region.

The team left Damongo with an increased appreciation of the work of Women Groups in the area, as well as an increased sense of responsibility towards the achievement of the Women Empowerment Agenda.

SWIDA – Ghana Leads COVID-19 Media Sensitization Project

The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA – Ghana) will be spearheading the implementation of a three-month media sensitization project aimed at educating the public, particularly inhabitants of rural communities within the Northern Region.

This sensitization, will hinge on comprehensive information on COVID-19 to increase behavioral change towards the observance of the preventive protocols.

The project which is being funded by World Vision Ghana is in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), Department of Children, GhanaFact (a fact-checking organisation), Ghana Health Service (GHS), Pong Tamale Experimental School, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC-Tamale), Might FM (Savelugu) and Sagani TV.

The strategy of the project will include the use of radio and TV discussions featuring experienced resource persons to talk extensively on COVID-19 from different relevant perspectives.

The other strategy the project will employ, will be the use of Radio drama on the topics discussed by the Drama Club of the Pong Tamale Experimental School.

There will also be quizzes, to be organized for callers to win various PPE and branded T-shirts, after answering questions live on air, relating to the drama.

On welcoming the task to spearhead the project, the Executive Director for SWIDA-Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed stated that “the topics to be discussed will be strategically framed to contextually respond to the issues relating to COVID-19, particularly in the Northern Region”.

Some of the topics to be looked at include COVID-19 and child protection, COVID 19 and Child Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM), COVID-19 and farming COVID-19 nutrition and livelihoods, COVID-19 and misinformation among other topics.

The main expected outcome of the project in the end, is to contribute to global efforts aimed at improving prevention and response measures against COVID 19.

SWIDA – Ghana Calls for better Approaches to Tackling Inequality Issues in Ghana

The Executive Director for SWIDA – Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito – Saeed has called on governments to work at tackling the issues that negatively affect inequality, in order that progress can be made in the country’s fight against the menace, which is one of the drivers of slow human development.

Hajia Alimah was co – panelists with the Executive Director for Songtaba, Hajia Lamnatu Adam, on Tamale – based radio station, Zaa Radio, where they had discussions as part of activities to mark this year’s “Fight Inequality” Week, commemorated in the third week of January every year.

Each year in January, members of the Fight Inequality Alliance mobilize across the world to highlight the crisis of inequality, to demonstrate that people are organizing and demanding an end to the age of greed and putting forward their solutions for a more equal society.

According to the Fight Inequality Alliance, “knowing that people around the world are mobilizing for the same cause at the same time helps inspire and embolden people to organize and push for change”.

The week of action happens as the global 1% meet at the World Economic Forum on the exclusive Swiss mountain resort of Davos, as a counterpoint to elite discussions on inequality – a huge show of people power to demonstrate the real solutions will come from people on the frontlines of inequality around the world.

SWIDA – Ghana, which is an organization that has been pushing for equality over the years, has been involved in this mobilization for some time, mainly due to the gaps of inequality Ghana has, which affects its growth and development of the people.

According Oxfarm International’s website, “One of the richest men in Ghana earns more in a month than one of the poorest women could earn in 1,000 years”.

Oxfam also found in a survey it conducted that “Nearly a third of the poorest children in the Northern Region have never been to school, compared to just 5% of the wealthiest. Girls in particular are losing out on a chance of a better life, with the poorest girls from the most marginalized regions facing the greatest challenges”.

Hajia Alimah sagito expressed worry over the rising inequality especially in northern Ghana, which has been holding up poverty reduction, harming the environmental, hurting the economy, destabilizing society and undermining democracy.

She is therefore urging governments to make efforts at bridging the gaps of inequality, to allow for its people to develop more to contribute to development of the country.