Small Ruminant Support Project takes off in Kazugu



Pe Parekuri Alua, Kazugu pe

A livelihood support programme aimed at empowering rural women to cater for themselves and their households has been duly implemented in Kazugu, a predominantly farming community in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region. The programme spearheaded by an NGO, Student and Youth Travel Organisation (SYTO) seeks to improve the living condition of beneficiaries whose activities to a larger extend poses a major threat to the environment. The livelihood support programme is therefore geared at alleviating the plight and vulnerability of beneficiaries; particularly women to enable them cater for their basic needs in their respective households. At a brief durbar held at Kazugu, 26 out of a 350 targeted household members involving the youth were given a goat and a sheep each to manage so that as the animals multiply they will sell them out to sustain their livelihood. Another batch of beneficiaries numbering 25 would receive theirs in April this year.  In the next two years, 100 ruminants under the small ruminant programme embarked on by SYTO, will be made to benefit about 50 people in the community.  Distribution of the ruminants would be done on regular basis till all beneficiaries get their share of the offer. The Programme Development Manager of SYTO, Rasmond Anyina told Radio Ghana that his outfit since its inception in 1994 has remained focussed on empowering young people to take up challenges for themselves.  Additionally, the NGO also channel its activities to addressing the global challenge of climate change as well as forest degradation among other environmental issues.  The overarching goal he said was to help redeem the degraded forest through community empowerment and advocacy. He said in 2009, a major reforestation programme was implemented in the Kazugu community, employing more women tasked with the responsibility of raising nursery bed. These women who work on daily basis also engage in tree transplanting on a large scale, whilst their men folks play the role of monitoring their activities for best results. According to Mr Anyinah, the small ruminants programme would be scaled up to benefit more people in the community and beyond. This, he explained, would go a long way to empower the women, thereby reducing their vulnerability since they are disadvantaged when it comes to property and land ownership. Majority of the women, he lamented are poor, compelling them to engage in tree cutting and other degrading activities for their livelihood. It is at the backdrop that the NGO came out with the initiative to help empower them to take care of themselves and their households. The Kazugu Pe Parekuri Alua also in an interview thanked SYTO for the good initiative and appeal to government and other NGOs to support vulnerable women with income generating activities to help improve their living standards. He advised the women to take ownership of the animals and ensure their proper up keeping sustaining their livelihood. Pe Alua also advised the women to remain committed to the project as he holds discussion with MOFA to deal with the health aspect of the animals.

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Mr Anyinah in pose with some beneficiaries