Ghana quiet, calm before and after Supreme Court verdict

                           NEW DAWN, NEW TAMALE, NEW GHANA. PEACE REIGNS.

PORTABLE WATER IS STILL A PROBLEM IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

 

 

Rural communities in the Northern Region still struggle to have access to potable drinking water as shown in the photographs taken at Kpallbisi in the East Gonja District.

The situation of access to safe water and sanitation in rural Ghana is even more disturbing to see how women and children in this communities walk for mile and struggle to have access to water.

Speaking to Mr. Salifu Saidu Daari, the Assemble man for are explained that, the over 1,500 population have no access to safe drinking water, place of convenience and electricity.

He said, there are limited sources of water available to provide safe drinking water to the entire population, where the only source is the surface water which is often highly polluted.

Though the practice is not hygienic, but we don’t have any option than to do it, he stressed.

Women and young girl spend most of their time walking miles for their daily water needs.

He also said that, diseases such as cholera are spread rampantly during the wet season where the young ones are very vulnerable.

The assemblyman then pleaded for the Government and other philanthropist to come to the aid of the community.

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PEACE IN GHANA

 I GEOFFREY BUTA, A PHOTOJOURNALIST IN THE NORTHERN REGION (TAMALE) PLEDGE FOR PEACE FOR CHILDREN, PEACE FOR WOMEN AND PEACE GHANA.

During and after the Supreme Court's ruling on the 2012 election petition

 A US MILITARY OFFICER IN A HAPPY MOMENT WITH KIDS IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA.

 THE NORTHERN REGIONAL MINISTER BEDE ZIEDING WITH INSCRIPTION BEHIND HIM ON A CAR WRITTEN " AFRICAN CHILD"

HOW QUALITY IS OUR EDUCATION.

This modern day, some students still struggle to have access to better education. The photographs show how some students at the Jakara Yilli S.D.A Junior High School in the Tamale Metropolis write their end of term exams on building blocks, bench and bicycles.

ABJECT POVERTY STILL IN RURAL GHANA.

These photographs taken in Chereponi in the Northern Region  of Ghana shows children and a mother (standing) competing with pigs and dogs for groundnuts on a small refuse dump after winnowing.

Chereponi is among seventeen districts in the Northern Region benefiting from United State Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project on Resiliency in Northern Ghana Project (RING) to contribute to the government efforts to sustainably reduce poverty and improve the nutritional status of vulnerable households in targeted communities in the Northern Ghana, but one may wonder if this vulnerable children are benefiting from the project.

A research conducted by the World Food Programme on their comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis on the Northern Region identifies significant disparity in development.

Despite an overall increase in Ghana’s wealth and development in recent years, the Northern Region continues to record high incidences of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition.

Although the Government has made great strides in helping people get out of various health hazard and abject poverty with the help of other Non-Governmental Organization but much more need to be done to alleviate health risk and abject poverty in the rural communities especially in Northern Ghana.

Photos: Geoffrey Buta.

 A CHILD EATING WHILE THE PIG ALSO FEEDING ON THE SAME GROUND

IMPACT OF POVERTY AND EDUCATION IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.

Some female school children.

Story/Photos: Geoffrey Buta.

Female children currently attending school in rural communities are far more likely not learning the critical skills, such as reading, writing and math. While this gender, income and learning gaps exist in most rural communities especially in Northern Ghana.

Considering the significance of rural poverty across the country, it should come as no surprise that rural schoolchildren are the most disadvantaged from a socioeconomic perspective when it comes to access to a quality education.

A research shows that, most school going age children in rural communities drop out from school to find greener pasture in the Southern part of the country.

Photographs taken during a visit to Gbandu a village in East Mamprusi district and Dakpemyili in the East Gonja District all in the Northern Region reveal the significant challenging’s school children in this rural communities encounter.

The schools lack infrastructures, computer lab, library, and portable drinking water and toilet facilities.

Most of the challenging’s in the rural schools generally have less qualified teachers and not enough teachers for the number of children enrolled in school.

The reasons for these low numbers in rural communities are many and very much linked to poverty and other inequalities and socioeconomic conditions.

Teachers generally prefer urban to rural schools because urban areas offer greater opportunities and higher incomes. There is also a better quality of life in urban areas, with better access to good infrastructure, healthcare and general public goods.

Northern Ghana is characterized by poor or nonexistent infrastructure and little or no provisions for other critical social services especially in the rural communities.

This in turn negatively impacts the quality of education for rural-area children since even getting to school is a more difficult challenge and illness of a pupil or a family member may force the pupil to drop out of school entirely.

Students in this sector are further disadvantaged by the fact that their parents are generally uneducated.

Speaking to Mr. Alhassan Abdulai Iddi, the Executive Director of Net Organization for Youth Empowerment and Development (NOYED) Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organization said, despite the effort of NGO’s to assist in addressing this worrying situation of rural education crisis, the government through the assemblies must implement policies that will reduce poverty in rural areas.

Such policies must address better educational facilities, health, sanitation conditions, and modernizing the agricultural sector for parents to grow more to take care of their wards as this is their only source of income, he said.

According to Mr. Iddi, the long-term consequences of continued poverty and socioeconomic inequalities in rural areas should not be underestimated.

He said, the conditions will only continue to exacerbate the education and learning gaps between rural and urban school children if appropriate steps are not taken to address the situation.

Poor quality education in rural areas will only continue to perpetuate long-term poverty in the region, he added.

Is the country on course of achieving Millennium Development Goals on Universal Primary Education?

                      some children riding donkey in Chereponi district in the Northern Region.

                                          some school children carrying fire food to school.

Daboya “Traditional SMOCK weaving heritage” in Ghana.

Daboya is the district capital of North Gonja, which is about 60 km west of Tamale via the Nyankpala/Tolon road.

It is one of the most unique craft villages in West Africa which holds a special place in the traditional textile industry of Ghana.

It is a town known for its special traditional smock (fugu) weaving involving the various stages of the process locally made to its finest stage.

The majority of about 20,000 are mostly into smock weaving with about 46 communities’ surroundings. 

                                    President John Dramani Mahama (r) in a smoke with other.

                                                  A man soaking the tread.

                                                                  dying process

                                                         some men seriously weaving

The smock weaving industry has been facing a lot of challenging, but the government have ensured its support of investing and  promoting the industry.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is leading the formulation of ideas that would come out with a blue print on a craft center to be established for all smock weavers from Daboya, Yendi and Tamale.

So far in the history of our nation, Daboya is the only town which produces the original and best Smock (Fugu).

Photos: Geoffrey Buta

STRUGGLE OF A MOTHER

The struggle of a mother is a photography documentary of mother with her children working on a farm to feed her family.

A mother and her children one strap at her back and another with her on a farm where she works daily to cater for them in the hot sun. 

Farm labor is rampant in rural communities, where the farm workers are not secure due to its seasonal nature.

Women and children doing hard work in the farm have become ordinary, where the children are seen working along their mothers, just because of poverty.

The whole family is working but still their income is not enough for their personal needs, but they still serve to provide enough food for their family and Nation.

The photographs show activity of a woman and her child on a farm working for their daily bread.

Daavi Setsofie speaking to Times Photographer during a visit to a dry season farming at Yapei in Central Gonja district explains the insufficient of the income, but we still have no option than to continue to provide food for the family, she added.

What measure can be put in place to provide better access of agricultural equipment for women farmers in order to do large scale farming to provide enough food for the country as well as increase food security in rural communities?

The other photographer shows as well as.

the mother and son walking in search of stumps on the farm, while the boy wear no sandals and shirt in a hot sun.


 some women struggling for water on a farm

                                                   the mother giving her son water to drink.

struggle of passengers.

The safety of passengers and road users on the Tamale - Techiman highway in Ghana have for the past months seen a huge success of preventing robbery activities on the road.

The combined Police and Military force have scared robbery operations on the road despite the inadequate logistics for the security men.

The photographs show how passengers and road users go through every night in order to have a successive journey.

             

                                 Some as shown in the photograph need to sleep on the road.

                                A silhouette of security personnel with gun to lead the convoy

One military officer name withheld explain that, some part of the road where robbery activities are rampant have been spotted and always provide adequate protection for the passengers and other road users.

The operation soo far have seen much improvement, he added, he added.

Abena Twumasi, a trader commended the security men for the operation of providing protection for the passengers and other road users.

 The situation has also created business for the localities.

                                                                  A kebab seller.

DAMBA FESTIVAL IN TAMALE. GHANA

          Damba festival celebrated by most of the tribal groups of Muslim origin in Northern Ghana. This festival is                                     celebrated by the chiefs and people of Dagbon, Gonjas, Mamprusis, Nanumbas and the Walas. 

The main aim for the merriment is to remember the birth and naming ceremony of the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

In Tamale, the celebration was climax in a peaceful manner where people from various community gathered at the Dakpema Palace.

The photographs show how the native celebrated the event.