Many countries globally including Ghana, are battling with the shattering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In third world countries, the pandemic and its associated crisis, has already stressed struggling economies in areas of health and education.
COVID-19 has created an urgent need for organizations to respond in varied ways. It is against this backdrop that, ActionAid Ghana (AAGH) has launched a three-pronged COVID-19 relief response to help alleviate the plight of the masses in the Upper East Region.
Eight Districts are to benefit from ActionAid (AA) campaigns and innovations of COVID-19 response package has been launched in Zebilla in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region.
The package will cover all their operational areas in the region.
The eight districts include; Bawku Municipal, Bawku West District, Pusiga, Binduri, Nabdam Talensi, Kassena Nankana and Builsa South.
In his welcome address, the Programme Manager (PM) of ActionAid Ghana, Sulley Alhassan indicated that, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic three months ago and the subsequent locked down by the President of the Republic of Ghana, ActionAid put in a proposal to their donors to support them help alleviate the plight of the people in their operational area hence, the COVID- 19 relief response.
Speaking to GBCGHANAONLINE, the Head of Programmes, campaigns and innovations ActionAid Ghana, John Nkaw stated that, the relief is in three phases.
The first phase of the campaign he indicated, started with awareness creation in the media, the second phase currently involves the distribution of food and non-food relief items to fifteen thousand households and fifteen rural government hospitals nationwide, valued at GHC 2,190.000.
The third phase of (AA) COVID-19 responses relief package will come with an additional ten thousand households and a National Advocacy Campaign which will focus on the need for the provision of Gender Responsive Services and Enhanced Social Protection intervention for people living in poverty especially women and girls.
ActionAid has developed a COVID-19 response project geared towards contributing to Government of Ghana’s efforts at containing the pandemic.
The plan also demonstrates the adaptability, flexibility and agility of ActionAid to build upon the resilience of communities, vulnerable women, youth and children they work with.
The project is being implemented in collaboration with funding from the European Union (EU), under the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project and players of The People’s Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom (UK) under the Building the Agency of Adolescent Young Girls for Inclusive Leadership Project and other doners.
The distribution started immediately after the launch and so far covers three institutions namely Bawku West District Health Directorate, the District Police Command and two women farmer groups with a numerical strength of eighty (80) farmers.
Story Filed By: Emmanuel Akayeti
