A beneficiary of a two year vegetable farming project initiated by BasicNeeds Ghana, Hanah Abdulai, has benefited from farming spinach popularly called in the local parlance as “aleefe”.
The BasicNeeds program has brought about significant changes in the lives of people with mental disorders and epilepsy in some communities in the Northern part of the country.
Hanah who is epileptic with a one and half old year boy is farming on a 100 by 15 farm size with her father, Abdulai Shengbaa.
According to Hannah’s father: “The vegetable farming has helped us a lot, after harvesting, we keep some for food and sell the rest, the income I get from the sale of the vegetable I use it to buy medicines for my daughter and take care of the family. I am happy for this program because we don’t beg for food and people do not shun us, they now respect us” Mr. Abdulai stated happily during a field interaction at his farm.
Background
BasicNeeds together with its partners, a mental health and development advocacy organization with support from United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP), Ghana, has brought about significant changes in the lives of people with mental disorders and epilepsy in some communities in the Northern part of Ghana.
The program dubbed “BasicNeeds Promoting Gardening for Improved Mental Health Outcomes and Productivity in Northern Ghana’ is running in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
The project targets the poorest and marginalized categories of people in some of the remote hard-to-reach communities in Ghana.
Hundreds of persons with mental disorders have had their life impacted positively in the project areas.
Latest to join in the Northern region, is Savelugu municipality where Communities including Ligba, Zaazi, Nyoglo and Bihanaayili are the beneficiaries.
The Livelihood Empowerment Program, through horticulture is to enable poor, socially excluded persons with mental illness, epilepsy, women and youth in the Savelugu-municipality to increase nutrition and income earning capacities through dry season gardening.
Sharing her experience with GBC’s Joyce Kantam Kolamong, a 45year old woman who did not mention her name, said: “My husband use to give me money every market day, now I do not care if he gives me money or not because I get income from the sale of the vegetables, I buy medications, pay school fees and I am now respected in my family and community. I want the project to continue to inlcude more people” She suggested.
Project Duration and Evaluation:
The first year of the project is ended and UNDP will undertake an evaluation to assess the impact of the project after which it will be informed on whether or not to continue the program.
A field visit by a team from BasicNeeds Ghana to some of the vegetable farms saw some beneficiaries harvesting their vegetables.
Some of the farmers expressed their gratitude to BasicNeeds Ghana and UNDP for initiating this life saving project.
They said their lives have been transformed in many ways as they earn incomes through the sale of the vegetables and also they are now respected in their communities.
”We thank BasicsNeeds Ghana and UNDP for this initiative, we are happy and will be more happy if they continue with the program”. That’s according to some beneficiaries at Ligba, one of the beneficiary communities.
Due to high levels of stigma and other operational difficulties, Persons with mental disorders, epilepsy are often discriminated against in resource distribution and their rights denied in service delivery which affect their dignity and self esteem in society.
To empower such persons means to give them livelihood, self esteem and dignified lives.
Project Coordinator, Azuure Sandow, is optimistic that UNDP after evaluations will continue to support the second phase of the project because of the positive impact it has had on beneficiaries.
According to him, since its inception, the project has had positive impacts in terms of enhancing the mental health of beneficiaries, improved capacities to work, improved social interaction and integration.
Mr. Sandow indicated that the project though laudable is challenged with the problem of available and access to land.
He said his outfit is in talks with community elders to make permanent land available and accessible to beneficiaries for farming.
Project Officer for BasicNeeds Ghana, Kingsley Kumbelim, who touched on sustainability, said it is key in all its projects execution and that is why it encourages ownership in all its projects.
He said beneficiaries are able to transfer the skills and knowledge gained from the dry season gardening onto their own farms during their normal farming activities.
Mr. Kumbelim, further indicated that some beneficiaries are also rolled onto ongoing BasicNeeds projects that are related to dry season gardening.
This, according to him, is to make them useful by engaging them in farming activities for food and income.
The Supervisor of the project, Ahmed Alhassan, said the beneficiaries are also supported and resourced with startups including vegetable seeds, water pumping machines, garden tools and equipment such as fencing materials, hoes, cutlasses and hand fork.
He said they are also given training on dry season gardening, type of crops and seedlings, farm management and extension services.
Some school of thought thinks that the success chalked up by the horticultural projects should spur BasicNeeds on to increase her awareness creation efforts and advocate the improvement of mental health services by policy makers and donors.
When this is done policies and poverty reduction strategies will benefit a significant proportion of forgotten poor people with mental disorders.
Story by Joyce Kantam Kolamong
