BA Donates to Guabuliga Clinic

In BA’s work to trigger and sustain holistic community development, several facets of community needs are considered. It is fact, that a healthy population is an essential barometer for a developed community. In consonance, BA is passionate about making health more accessible and affordable to the rural poor. To achieve this goal, in this season of giving, BA donated drugs, equipment and material essentials to the Guabuliga St. Joseph the Worker Clinic. Receiving these items on behalf of the Clinic, Mr. Bismarck; Director of the Catholic Health Unit of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese applauded BA for the continuous support to the facility and the people of Guabuliga. He pledged his outfit’s commitment to deliver quality healthcare to the people. He also noted that the facility will put the donated items to highest and best use. Witnessing the event, Naa Salifu Tampuri, Chief of Guabuliga also commended BA for the unflinching support to the community. He observed that as partners in development, the community is ever ready to support BA to bring development about. He noted that the people of Guabuliga will support BA with labor to put up a permanent accommodation for health workers in the community. The construction of the apartment is set to start before 2017.

My First Weeks in Guabuliga

Dear Braveaurora Friends,

My name is Julia, I’m 20 years old and I’m from Austria. I’m in Guabuliga since the 29th of October and I will stay here as a volunter till the middle of January. After my stay in Ghana I want to study Social Work in Austria. My hobbies are acting, singing, reading and meeting friends. I act in a theater group since 6 years now and it’s definitely my favorite free time activity.

My first weeks in the north of Ghana were filled with some ups and downs. Everything is so different here and I needed some time to arrive. It’s also my first time on a different continent, but until now it feels like Ghana was the right decision J

During my first weeks in Guabuliga the social workers Madam Suzie and Madam Eklimatu introduced me to their work, e.g. the reintegration concept and the yap programme. I also went to Tamale with the Project Manager  Abdul and Madam Suzie to have a meeting with the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), this was really interesting! Furthermore, Madam Eklimatu and I went to all the reintegration families to update some data. It was an entirely new experience for me to see how people live and work in their compounds. All of them were very friendly and did their best to help us! Of course I also went to the Chief of Guabuliga. I was really, really excited! We had a nice conversation and he welcomed me friendly!

As I mentioned earlier, acting is my greatest passion, that’s why I started working on a play with the YAP members. We try to meet twice a week and the play should show that family care is the best for children. Madam Eklimatu is supporting me during the rehearsals. We met three times so far and I’m excited about our next rehearsals already!

To sum up, I’m very glad to have this opportunity and I want to thank the BRAVEAURORA team for welcoming me in such a kind way!

Best regards,

Julia

The Chief and I

YAP Team Embark on Daytrip

Members of BA’s Young Ambassadors Programme (YAP) comprised of reunified Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) together with their parents had a daytrip to the upper part of Ghana after a great year reaching out to communities and individuals. Recognizing the importance of raising children in a family environment; in an atmosphere of love, happiness, and understanding, the YAP team this year sensitized 20 communities in the West Mamprusi District on the dangers of orphanage-care for children. To incentivize the team for their great work, BA’s social workers and team leader led them to the historic sites. It was an exhilarating experience for them as they got to take upclose shots with crocodiles from the Paga Chief Crocodile Pond and dance to rythms made with rocks at the Pikworo Slave Camp. The team also crossed the Ghanaian border into Burkina Faso to get a short taste of life in a different country. Pictures of the trip are shared below; 

THE SUCCESS STORY OF MADAM DORCAS

Bukari Dorcas is a 45 year old mother of five and the sixth wife of Mr. Ransford. Mr. Ransford has 20 children. Because of the large size of his family, he has left the survival of his children entirely in the hands of his wives. Dorcas as one of his wives earns her living through peasant farming. She does the farming during the rainy season to take care of herself and her children and travels to the southern part of Ghana during the lean season to work as head potter. A phenomenon in Ghana popularly referred to as “Kaayaaye”.

She has been looking for an opportunity to receive entrepreneurship skills training where she could stay in Guabuliga and take control of her life without going through the herculean task of travelling to southern Ghana looking for greener pastures. The “Kaayaaye’ comes with negative social vices such as rape, thievery, prostitution and others. Luck smiled on her and BA selected her among those chosen to receive entrepreneurship training in LIQUID SOAP AND POMADE MAKING.

As part of BA commitment to push entrepreneurial activities in the community of Guabuliga, BA gave her a skill that would help her secure her livelihood as well as those of her dependence.  This support has given madam Dorcas the opportunity to establish her own business and she is now able to take care of her children’s school needs in Guabuliga.

After graduation from BA training centre, BA assisted her with a startup capital to produce liquid soap for sale in Guabuliga and the surrounding villages. This has become a game changer in her life. She is now able to produce both liquid soap and pomade in larger quantities and sell the products in Guabuliga and the surrounding villages and makes profit from it.

Dorcas is so elated that her entrepreneurial dreams have finally come true. She is now a happy woman as she able to take care of herself and family. She has also done away with the idea of “Kaayaaye”. When we contact her about her message for BA, Madam Dorcas has this to say “I am very grateful to BA; your projects and programs have transformed Guabuliga and changed my life for the better”.  Below is a snapshot of madam Dorcas and her business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHRILI CAR VISITS GUABULIGA

Landscape Architect and BA’s external expert; Chrili Car paid a two-day visit to Guabuliga to support on projects and activities in the community. Due to his expertise and focal role on BA’s Greenbelt and Organic Garden projects, Chrili spent a chunk of his stay working in these areas. He provided technical direction to trainees of the organic garden project and lauded them for the wealth of knowledge already gathered in the field. He was particularly exultant that just a few months into training, a good number of them have started applying the acquired skills on their farms. In a small meeting with the Chief and some elders of the community to discuss the progress of the Greenbelt project and reflect forward, Chrili seized the moment to present his doctoral thesis- “Guabuliga: Open Spaces of Everyday Life” to the community. Receiving the book on behalf of the community, Chief Salifu M. Tampuri expressed profound gratitude to Chrili for his continuous support to the natural resource development of Guabuliga. He also promised renewed commitment to the success of natural resource projects in the community. Pictures of Chrili’s visit are shared below:

OVC EDUCATION SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE PRESENTATION

In conformity with BRAVEAURORA’s commitment to improving quality education among Orphans and vulnerable children and the community as a whole, the organization procured school materials for the OVC in primary and Junior High schools. Uniforms, pens, pencils, sandals, mathematical sets and exercise books each were procured and distributed among the OVC amid joy and smiles on the faces of children and some SMC executives present at the presentation in Guabuliga. 

These materials will facilitate effective learning in class, motivate the students to stay committed to their studies, enable them take active part in carrying out their exercises and also lessen the burden on the parents thereby reducing poverty levels among the community members. Below are some picture taken during the presentation on site in Guabuliga;     

    

PRESENTATION OF TEXT BOOKS TO OVC

As part of BA’s vision to improve educational performance in Guabuliga, the organization procured and distributed elective subject books to its sponsored students in second cycle institutions. These materials will improve the students' performance, enable them to study effectively, motivate them to give out their best and reduce the financial burden on their parents and guardians. The donated elective books include; Mathematics, General Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Financial Accounting among others.     

The distribution took place at the project site in Guabuliga with parents and guardians of the OVC available to witness the presentation.

The event was filled with excitement and appreciation to BA for the numerous programs being implemented to uplift the standards of education in the community and the district at large. Pictures of the presentation are shown below;        

        

BA SUPPORTS ENTREPRENEURS WITH STARTUP CAPITAL

As part of our commitment to push entrepreneurial activities in the community of Guabuliga, BRAVEAURORA has supported over 50 skills-training beneficiaries with startup loans to jumpstart their businesses. This much needed support will give the budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to establish their own businesses and reinvest the benefits thereof into the community. The step will further help the entrepreneurs secure their livelihoods and that of their dependents. It is also envisaged to sustainably boost economic activity in Guabuliga and in the long run, put a dent on poverty in the area.

Recipients of the support are so elated that their entrepreneurial dreams are finally coming true and have pledged to use the funds judiciously. Pictures of the beneficiaries receiving the support from our onsite staff are showed below; 

GUABULIGA CLINIC COMMISSIONED

The Walewale District Health Directorate, the Catholic Diocese and BRAVEAURORA jointly commissioned the Guabuliga S^t Joseph the Worker Clinic to offer 24 hour health service to the people of Guabuliga and surrounding communities. This dream came to its fullest culmination after four years of hard work, determination, perseverance and focus on the goal. It has taken substantial time investment from the Chief of Guabuliga and BRAVEAURORA whose collective objective has been to offer the best healthcare for the community. This venture was initiated based on the necessity to avoid travelling to Walewale for medical care and its resultant adverse implications.

The largely attended sod-cutting ceremony is a stepping stone to greater health and medical services in Guabuliga, which will also PROVIDE for neighboring communities.

BRAVEAURORA is really proud to demonstrate that once determination and the will to achieve is embedded in the development drive, everything is possible. With this success behind us, the team is poised to do more for the benefit of all communities in the West Mamprusi District.

 

cross section of chief and his elders

these are the two nurses stationed at the Guabuliga Clinic 

District Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Abdulai Salifu addressing the durbar

Guabuliga chief screened during the commissioning ceremony

chief and Dr. Salifu jointly commissioning the clinic

Accomodation for Health Workers

BRAVEAURORA adopts a catalogue of tried and tested projects in our drive towards poverty alleviation and community development. One of these interventions include the Social Infrastructure programme which is a core pillar of our development model. A central project under this programme is the Guabuliga Clinic Project which seeks to support the full functioning of a clinic in Guabuliga in order to bring health to the doorsteps of the locals. To achieve this, BA has over the years worked with several stakeholders including the Walewale District Health Directorate and Catholic Health Unit towards the realization of the goal. Fortunately, the years of work have finally paid off and the clinic which hitherto ran monthly is set to operate daily. Standing firm to our commitment, BA has refurbished a two-bedroom apartment for the two nurses stationed at the clinic. Meant for teachers, the apartment was uninhabited for years and left to the vagaries of the weather. Now fully renovated, the nurses go about their work with glee knowing they have a decent place to lay their heads after a long day’s work. Below are some shots of the facility.

A picture of the apartment before the renovation

The apartment after renovation

The back entrance of the apartment before refurbishment

The back entrance of the apartment after refurbishment

The two nurses at work

Front elevation of the clinic