Project profile — Babanayaa – Improving the Well-Being of Rural Women and Girls in Ghana

• Ghana (100.00%)

• Secondary Education: Secondary education (11320) (20.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Women's rights organisations and movements, and government institutions (15170) (10.00%)
• Agricultural development:
Agricultural development (31120) (20.00%)
Food crop production (31161) (25.00%)
Agricultural education/training (31181) (25.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to improve the well-being of women and girls in 30 rural communities in Ghana’s northern and Brong Ahafo regions, including their food security, health, safety, and social standing. The word “Babanayaa” translates to “one day they will see that we have changed”. Project activities include: (1) increasing income with agricultural (peanut) and livestock (goat) production and improving market access; (2) supporting young women to attend primary and secondary school to increase their level of education; (3) helping women participate more fully in community decision-making; (4) training women cooperative leaders and agriculture officers in financial management and skills for a healthy future to better advocate for their well-being, these skills include sexual and reproductive health, hygiene and safe food preparation and human rights; and (5) training community responsibility-bearers in gender-responsive justice, land use, and environmental care, giving them an increased ability to protect women’s rights. The project seeks to help 1,500 women (750 vulnerable women) attain greater well-being. Ghana Rural Integrated Development implements Babanayaa in collaboration with the Northern Empowerment Association.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased participation in sustainable, productive work by 1,500 women in 30 communities in rural northern Ghana; and (2) improved participation in equitable household and community decision-making by women in 30 communities in rural northern Ghana.

Results achieved as of June 2023 include: (1) trained 750 women farmers on peanut farming, animal husbandry, sexual and reproductive health and rights, human rights, and gender issues, (peanut farming training included land preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, shelling, storage, etc.); (2) provided training on the safety of women farmers going to and from farms, the principles of co-operatives, and the safe use and maintenance of motorcycles received through Babanayaa to help with farm transportation needs; (3) trained 10 women-led co-operative groups in market access for their peanuts, including increasing profit through collective bargaining; (4) built sheds in 10 communities to house the mechanical peanut shellers (the shellers are connected to electricity, reducing the need for women farmers to travel out of their communities to shell their peanuts). The shellers also generate income for the women co-ops from non-cooperative members paying to use the machine; (5) provided household financial management training to women and men, resulting in 750 participants having a saving plan; and (6) developed and provided 30 community responsibility bearers with training on gender-responsive justice.

• Proactive disclosure