World Vision continues to transform the lives of residents of Gusheigu and Karaga districts in the Northern Region through its Savings for Transformation (S4T) component of the Household Food Security and Resilience project.
So far, 12,000 people have benefited from the project which seeks to reduce poverty.
The Gusheigu cluster recorded a total of 8,279 beneficiaries from 322 groups, whereas the Karaga cluster can boast of 3,933 from 141 groups.
This is a significant achievement by people who hitherto were economically vulnerable due to lack of start-up capital or money to expand their businesses.
A 70-year-old livestock farmer who doubles as a petty trader at Salaa, a farming community in the Gusheigu municipality, Fusheni Amina in a Citi News interview said she took advantage of the project to expand her groundnut chips (kukuli) business.
“A few years ago, I started kulikuli business with just an amount of Gh₵10.00 enough to buy 3 bowls of groundnuts.”
“Currently, I have expanded the kulikuli business by increasing the number of groundnuts I use from 3 bowls to 10 bowls daily.”
She disclosed that “I have now diversified the business by adding livestock rearing. In total, I have 13 matured sheep and goats courtesy World Vision’s S4T project.”
According to Mma Amina, she is supporting her two sons to increase their yield.
“Through this business, I am able to take care of myself and also support my two sons with money in their farming every farming season.”
Another farmer in the Salaa community, Sumani Sugro touted the Savings for Transformation project as a life saver.
“Previously, I used to cultivate only five acres of maize and other crops due to lack of money to procure tractor services and also buy inputs such as fertilizer and weedicides. But now I am able to expand my farmland by cultivating 4 acres of maize and 6 acres of groundnuts.”
“I have spent over Gh₵1,000.00 in the 2018 farming season. If everything goes according to plan, I am expecting about 30 bags of maize and 40 bags of groundnuts.”
As a member of the “Kpangmang-noo-kumiya Bangbihiri niima” group, Mr. Sugro thanked World Vision for implementing the life insurance project.
A mobile money vendor at Kpatinga, Tahidu Abdul-Wahid attributed his success to the S4T project.
“Besides the mobile money business, I also charge mobile phones for about 200 customers on market days.”
“Thanks to World Vision’s S4T initiative, I have been able to save enough money in the “Ti nye yam” group and put up a four-bedroom house for my family.”
The Savings for Transformation (S4T) is a savings and loans scheme that encourages interested persons to save money for future investments.
The scheme also offers people the opportunity to save enough money as a form of social security.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
