The Fight For Change - LOH #181
I had the shock of my life in my final year at the University for Development Studies in the northern part of Ghana.As a Ghanaian born and raised in the southern part of Ghana, I had heard stories about the hardship in the north but I didn’t think it was that bad.
After spending three years in school and witnessing all the struggles these people had to go through just to earn a living, I decided to then just use that place as a study area for my final year research work. The main occupation for the northern part of Ghana is farming but as a place with long dry season and very short wet season, they were faced with so many agricultural challenges. Worst of it all was climate change, or so I thought.
In the beginning I was genuinely worried for everyone in general and then after my research I was so heart broken to discover that the women were the most affected in such communities. Let me tell you how.
In the northern part of Ghana, they practice patrilineal system of inheritance so you would be shocked that a woman might sweat and work so hard on a farm, only for her husband to reap all that she has sown. She really has no say, after all the land isn’t even for her. She might get some amount but it’s really not enough and is not worth the amount of work she put in the farm.
The good thing is that these women are really hardworking too.
So imagine, they wake up and do the house chores a wife should do and still go to farm on a land that is not theirs and in the end, gets little to nothing from the harvest. Tell me if this is fair.
This ignited a sense of responsibility in me to stay back in northern part of Ghana to work with the Environmental Protection Agency where I got to involve myself in certain programs to help women.
It was really great to know that instead of working on farms to get nothing in the end, they have rather resorted to other occupations like basket weaving, sheanut processing into sheabutter, cloth weaving and others.
Those who are also very much interested in farming have also engaged in something called Village Savings and loans so as to get some money to be able to rent farmlands to farm. The agriculture offices also do their best to support with viable seeds. Others who are still unable to engage in any sustainable livelihoods also travel to the southern part of Ghana to engage in head porter-carrying activities known as kayeye.
I am proud of myself and admire the effort I’ve been putting in place to let climate change and sustainability platforms know how serious the gender barrier is in the northern Ghana. Even though I’ve assisted in monitoring certain projects which aimed at helping these women, my goal is to continue fighting for a great change with other climate change and gender advocates.
It may not seem as rosy and easy in the start but we hope that our fight for a change will never be in vain and that one day, more women in the north would also be able to own their own lands and farm as they want.
2nd and 3rd images are slides from my international Climate Change and Gender presentation
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
I truly admire what you are doing for the northern Ghanaian women, such practice is as well done here in some parts of Nigeria and it's sad to see women going through so much.
Thank you for making some changes in your little way.
I’m truly honored
Thank you
The same thing happened in the northern part of Nigeria my country
I feel your country and mine have same topography and lifestyle of people therein are predominantly conservative Fulani and hausa Islamic heritage.
That's why banditory terrorism and other social vises are rife.
Very sad
That's why Ghana must Ensure you vote in responsible leadership by voting in informed party with Sense of responsibility.
This coming election later this yr
Vote in mahama the northern guy u guess to fix the rot in His region and Ghana as a whole
Am s Nigerian mind you I don't want your country to experience what we are experiencing now in Nigeria by APC clueless ruling party . just like akufo Ado party.
Sad thing is that, this is Almost what is happening in the Northern part of Nigeria too,
Your efforts on Gender Advocacy is so Noble
Keep it up dear
Oh yeah, I just found out from someone that it’s the same in Nigeria
Thank you
Oh wow. This is so inspiring.
I can’t imagine what more you would do as the minister for environment🫱🏾🫲🏽😂
Thank you
😂😂😂
Welldone dear, I am really inspired by the effort you are making to get women a source of livelihood, this will make them have a say, lessons learnt is they will empower their daughters and not allow them experience such hard life
Yeah that’s the plan
Thank you
You are welcome
I'm truly inspired.
It's the detail of passion in your work.
Thank you for standing up for change.
Thank you too
!LADY
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STOPGreat cause, Abena. The contribution you're making adds up to the big change, no matter the size. Is the northern side larger than the southern, like it is in Nigeria? Ours is like 2/3.
Thank you
I’m not even sure how to explain this but the northern region is the biggest region in Ghana but the southern regions collectively are bigger that the northern regions
I think I get it. That is, the northern region alone is largest, but the southern regions all together, south-west, south-south, and south-east are bigger than the northern region alone. Is that right?
Yeah
Times have changed, women need land to farm many running agriculture on knowledge gained over generations of hard work.
Regional/Tribal differences are staggering where attitude toward woman being treated so poorly, an excellent project to be involved in assisting woman to become more independent of their male counterpart.
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Yeah times have changed, that’s exactly what we want people to know.
Wow Abena, you are an ambassador for change. Our ministers and people in power can learn a thing or 2 from you.
It is sad that women cannot inherit and their hard work is looked down upon but you are doing good work spreading this and making people aware of this situation. I do like that the women have found several ways of showing their hard work and making their own living.
Yeah I also like it they’ve adopted to other means
It’s sad but we’ll continue pushing til we get there
Thank you🥰
I know you will. Keep up the good work my president 🥰
Your president?😂
Yes please madam president 🙂
Am proud of the contribution your making
Thank you
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With this post, I want to believe all Northern parts of the country are experiencing this because it is the same here too.
Thank God for your good work. God bless you
Yeah that’s what I heard
Amen
Thank you for standing up for change
Thank you