Ghana
Stopping Hunger
A land of incredible contrasts
Located in West Africa between the Cote d’Ivoire
on the east, Togo on the west, Burkina Faso on the north
and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean on the south,
this country of 23 million people is about the size
of Oregon.
Its official language is English, but there are dozens
of dialects which complicate most business transactions.
Its unemployment rate is 11% and the estimated population
below the poverty line is 29%. That’s about 6.7
million people! It has plenty of gold, timber, industrial
diamonds and poverty.
Self-Help has goals for its in-country Ghanaian staff
Quality Protein Maize (QPM)
To increase production of QPM.
It is estimated that roughly half of all Ghanaian farmers
plant QPM. Now, we are working on the others!
SHI volunteers have taught both mothers and medical workers about the importance of QPM in the diets of infants and children. The program at the Ankaase Methodist Hospital provides food and medical care for about 400 children each week. Informal HIV-AIDS awareness is addressed with beneficiaries.
A two-year feeding project in Ejura is designed to alleviate malnutrition for 1,600 babies six months through age five. Children are fed porridge made with Quality Protein Maize with pinches of barley malt that will allow them to absorb protein and double caloric intake. Mothers receive loans to plant QPM seed to benefit the entire family.
Micro-credit
To enable women to generate income through short-term
loans to women’s groups for income-generating
projects such as bakeries, soap making, and palm oil
processing. To date, SHI has recovered 97% repayment
of all loans.Learn more here about micro-credit
