The Importance of Educating Rural Communities in Financial Management

By Abdul-Hakim Al-Hassan

After I had gone through financial management course at University and underwent some training on cooperative societies (organized by ICS Cohort 2 and delivered by the Department of Cooperatives) it came to my attention that the reason why some people fail in their business activities is due to the fact that they fail to realize that it is not just how much money you make but rather how well you manage your money. People who are poor become wealthy as a result of prudent business and financial management.  The women engaged in agricultural business activities in rural areas can make money but can’t manage it well and so they are trapped in a cycle of poverty. 

Picture of the current IGG in Wayamba

As a result of financial illiteracy, they fail to distinguish assets from liabilities hence, they tend to overspend on liabilities and don't keep track of their assets or fail to count their profit/losses. In the community I am posted to, called Wayamba, there was previously an Income Generating Group (IGG) called 'Yellim' (which means salt). The group members would all contribute money to buy salt from the market and then store it in a warehouse. They had a group of people that would buy the salt at a slightly higher price. Initially, this was successful; however, there was an instance where two leaders started taking money from the group contributions to buy personal items, e.g. buying cloths to give to their daughter for her wedding, rather than investing the money into the group to improve the business. Because they were leaders, they did not pay back the money and this caused the business to collapse. The two leaders lacked financial literacy because they spent the money on things that were not related to business and did not appreciate the effect of using the business' money for their personal use.

In addition, these women fail to cultivate the habit of saving and live hand to mouth and often are unable to account for what they used it for. Through the introduction of NGOs and education into some communities, some groups have started collective saving schemes. Although these schemes can be quite successful they fail to encourage the women to collectively pool their resources together to minimize business expenditure. In some cases, they are able to form groups but again do not work collectively, rather they work individually and so carry all  the risks of a business rather than spreading it across a group. The idea of pooling resources, working collectively and sharing risk are some of the fundamental aspects of forming a cooperative and is one of the reasons why cooperatives are effective for rural income generating groups that only produce a surplus, as opposed to a profit. 

Women selling shea butter at Katinga Market

I began to think about the people in the villages and rural communities, specifically the women who have not received formal education and so are part of the vulnerable in Ghanaian society. These women work hard to take care of themselves and their children and often they have business ideas which they try to put into practice, for example by engaging themselves in farming or alternative business activities to their usual income generating activity, such as Shea nut picking or rice processing, to mention but a few. It is my impression that whilst smaller sections of them may succeed, the majority fail in the process because they can’t sustain the business as a result of lack of financial management skills, such as good record-keeping skills. From my experience working with the community I have found that the women are eager to learn new skills but lack the opportunity to do so. That is why I feel our work is so important. 
   
Some women try to organize themselves into IGGs to help each other; however, some fail because they are not cooperatives and therefore lack the knowledge and training that is given in the process of registering as a cooperative society.  For example, if the leaders in Yellim had been taught about record keeping and the responsibilities of a leader, they would have realised that they cannot use the business' money for personal use. Forming a cooperative also helps IGGs to receive financial support for their income generating activity from NGOs and the government.
 

Therefore, I decided that I would like to use the knowledge I acquired in my own financial management training to the benefit of women in rural communities so that they could gain more benefits in the income generating activities that they engage themselves in. However, the question was how I achieve this? 

 

A picture of me delivering a training session to the IGG in Wayamba on record keeping

I was able to achieve this dream by working with ICS. I was enrolled onto the programme as a volunteer in the Non-Formal Education Department (NFED) Tolon livelihood project to train women in pre-selected income generating groups on how to form cooperative societies. Part of this training involved teaching the women financial management and record keeping, which is a key requirement to become a sustainable cooperative society.

As the saying goes: “If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation." By ensuring that our programme and the training we deliver to the communities, which is NFED inclusive, is sustainable we hope that our teachings can be used by facilitators in the communities to pass the information on, from community to community and, as a result, we hope that the communities we have started to work with on this project will go on to form cooperatives. Perhaps, by doing so they will inspire another group or even another generation in rural communities to form their own cooperative society.  

'Antire' From Tolon...

 

By Natty Waldron

Drumming the Calabash at a Local Wedding                                                                  

It now feels like just yesterday that I arrived in Tolon alongside the team of UK and Ghanaian volunteers, yet at first time went very slowly indeed. This was not due to boredom, but derived from the fact that each day was filled with so many new, unexpected and interesting experiences – all of which one learns from. These varied, from getting used to the new rural accommodation and customs, to getting to grips with the local language, Dagbani. I can boast to have 'conversational' Dagbani, measured by the maximum of two minutes I can spend pleasantly exchanging greetings with the locals and my host-family!

Prior to arriving in Tolon, I felt confident that I knew what to expect as I had spent a lot of time thinking about what would await me there and researching what I could about Tolon online (very little is available!). Yet, it was very different from what I expected, the main divergence from my expectations was the vibrancy and diversity within Tolon, it is a bustling place full of enterprises and activity.

Outside Simli Radio Station after Cohort 2's first radio show

The team and I are working for the partnership between International Service and the Non Formal Education Division (NFED). Our contribution aims to help local communities on their way to becoming cooperatives, with the hope that these communities will acquire expedient skills to help them boost their income and their sustainability in a world characterized by ever-increasing competition. NFED have worked in Tolon District for many years now. Their work has been to facilitate and provide literacy classes for women who sadly did not pick up these skills in their youth. Most often these women were deprived a completed formal education due to poverty. The communities in which many of women are from face numerous problems, all of which manifest as significant obstacles for locals to be capable of grasping what opportunities are available to them. Poor infrastructure, a lack of health facilities, family- and labour-demands are just some of the prescient issues that stop many from completing school.

The cohort before us who conducted baseline research in these areas found that the groups we are working with, Income Generating Groups (IGGs) made up of former members of the NFED's literacy classes, are extremely willing to learn. Thus the burden is on us to help provide them with the skills they need to empower themselves through growth of independent and sustainable incomes. Preparing training sessions that can both get through to the groups and be replicated by the NFED staff at later dates has proven itself to be quite a challenge. The challenges within this general experience however, are what makes it rewarding and I am learning that the you get out of it what you are willing to put in. There are a plenitude of things to do both within the project and outside of it. An invaluable part of the placement is living in a host-home with a family who treat you as their own, this provides a really immersive three months in such a tight-knit and secure community. We have received an extremely warm and gracious welcome from the community, including a fascinating formal welcome from the Chief, I sense we would not get far without the Chieftancy's blessing!

My roommate and I presenting a talk to the local Senior High School on the importance of sanitation

The longer the stay here goes on the clearer an image of Northern Ghana becomes. It is a vibrant area with very industrious and sincere people, whose pride in their culture seems alien to many from the UK or elsewhere. The hospitality of all whom I have encountered is second to none and the sense of identity here is truly staggering. Despite this one comes to notice that are large obstacles to the otherwise bright future of Ghana, the lack of infrastructure and the instability of the economy most definitely do not do Ghana justice. Yet, whilst writing this I must qualify this perception with the resilience, generosity and solidarity of all whom I have met. Thus throughout our work here, I believe the most important aspect is to win the trust of the people and to stick tightly to the project's aim of enabling self-empowerment and sustainability.

God I love Ghana

Post By: Sam Briggs

Life in Ghana follows like this; Eat... Sleep... Pray... Repeat.

Living in Ghana has shown me that above all else religion is the most important aspect of the Ghanaian way of life. 

As part of our relationship with NFED we are working with small rural communities with little influence from the outside world. As the expected sign of respect and custom, our meetings will always start with a prayer and finish with a prayer as the belief of change and prosperity are gifts from God. We aim to help these Income Generating Groups of female dominated members to have a fighting chance in a world where the odds seemed stacked against them, and I believe this is a fight we can win with the awareness and support these women deserve. During this fight the first step of combating this battle is underway as me and the media team have grasped onto the likely prospect of a monthly radio broadcast due to the goodness of Simli radio station, to raise awareness and gain support.

But this is only the beginning of many changes that will come. With media coverage these groups have a much stronger chance as villages and towns all over the northern region can learn about the group’s struggle and many will be able to  show empathy with their situation as this is a struggle that is widespread in many areas, this empathy will hopefully lead people to support the NFED programme and spread the word. Every radio show will give us a better chance of being noticed by large NGOs and charity organisations that I hope will answer these strong people’s prayers.

When people go to work they will drop their work for prayer times, people will temporarily close their small businesses to go pray and people will close their laptops and stop reading blogs to go pray. 

This links with the idea of how above all over aspects of life their religion is priority. This is something to be expected with a country that is one of the most religious world and the percentage of atheists are dropping while beliefs in God are rising. It is interesting to see a country with such a powerful belief that influences everything from politics to not talking while in the shower, especially as I come from a country where religion plays little to almost no influence in life.

In so many ways I respect and almost envy the complete love and dedication these people have to their God. Despite the hardships many suffer and the stress of life many will face they will never blame their God, they will only blame the real reasons like the corruption and unemployment that cripples the citizens of Ghana. I’ve never fallen victim to the lies of the UK press that demonizes Islam but I never expected the opposite to be so true. Christianity and Islam here both teach peace and the people of this fine country hold that virtue to its highest standard. They will not treat you as substandard for having a different belief or a different way of doing things, they wont hate you if you even disagree with a certain belief, they see you as one of God’s children and will treat you accordingly. Many times I have wandered around the streets of Tolon and people will invite me to share their food. One of my Ghanaian counterparts told me if a person who is starving and in need of food goes to a market and asks for charity they will receive it, such is the teachings of these religions. The brutal fact is if a homeless man came to the doors of a thriving business in the UK and asked for scraps they would be turned away and left to fend for themselves in fear of legal action because ‘they might get ill and sue us’. So many people in the UK have fallen into the belief of how religion causes so many problems in the world and it is better off not existing but how can this be true when the vast majority of these followers take their religion in its truest form, kindness, charity and love.

I believe that without religion the poorer people in northern rural Ghana would have little hope of anything, imagine living in a poor rural area where everyday life is difficult and you have little hope that external influences are there to protect you and care for you. With religion though these people find happiness and something to bring their community together to make them stronger and more likely to tackle their issues. The belief of a fatherly figure watching down on them brings them a feeling of content and hope that even though they are suffering now, they won’t always suffer, how could anyone even think of trying to take this away from them. Imagine being a believer of a religion and letting this be a source of peacefulness in your life and your passion for doing something good in this world and only trying to use your religion as a force of good in the world. Imagine how that person would feel when their religion is shone in a negative light when all you’ve ever done is try to be a good person for your God. No religion is evil, religion is peace.

God, I love Ghana.

Nawu ni labsina.

Ami!

Welcome to Dimabi: Change is Possible

Post by: Rashida Seidu

My journey to Dimabi community started with a very  warm welcome from the district capital; Tolon, from the Chief and the community at large. The chief organized a durbar to introduce us to the community and to also create their awareness as to what we are going to be doing in tolon throughout our three months stay there. The chief together with the people of the community showed us love and a warm welcome and as a sign of respect we offered cola nuts and water as a sign of appreciation.

The work in Dimabi started on a Tuesday, we took a bus to the community of Dimabi Yepala, situated on the outskirts of Tolon town. It is made up of three separate communities, community 1, 2, and 3 which has one local chief who governs them all. The name of the income generating group there is “Biehigu Tagya” which simply means “life has changed”, it is a collection of 30 women, whose primary focus is shea butter processing and rice production. 

The first visit started with a meeting with the Dimabi chief, we were offered cola nuts and drinking water, then proceeded into the third community which is where our IGGs are located. When we asked about their aims and what they are hoping to achieve from us they explained it was; to create market opportunities for them, and also teach them on how to become cooperatives to help generate income for themselves in order to kick poverty out of these communities. 

My stay in Tolon with ICS/NFED has undoubtedly made a positive impact to my life with regards to the way I perceive, see and connect with the universe. I think volunteering is a brilliant way to get real-life experience. Whether you build a playground or mail flyers to raise awareness for a local charity, you will experience the real world through hands-on work.

The International Service ICS program has given me a great opportunity to express myself clearly in the midst of my elders without it being regarded as any form of disrespect. Where I am from; Tamale, Northern Ghana I was always taught that using gestures and demonstrations while communicating with an elderly person was a rude and disrespectful act. My stay in Tolon has taught me other wise and that the education of an adult or elderly person in any form isn’t a bad thing. Our work in Tolon has been appreciated by the masses (aka the entire team).  A lot of us have almost been brain washed into thinking that positive change in remote communities like Tolon is impossible. The months I’ve spent here hasn’t been all that easy but I sure know it’s far better than what I expected. I knew all was going to be well the moment we stepped in the community. Our welcome alone was massive and we were assured we will receive a great deal of cooperation which will surely make our set objectives more achievable.

I have also discovered new interests and hobbies as a result of my stay in Tolon with other ICS volunteers. Sometimes we do get locked into the “rat-race” of life and volunteering with the ICS has given me an escape to everyday routine and created a balance in my life. Finding new interests and hobbies through volunteering with ICS in Tolon has so far been fun, relaxing and energizing. The energy and sense of fulfilment can carry over to a work situation and sometimes helps relieve tensions and foster new perspectives for old situations. Sometimes a volunteer experience can lead you to something you never even thought about or help you discover a hobby or interest you were unaware of. I have been able to strengthen my personal/professional mission and vision by exploring opportunities and expanding my horizons. I have also been able to realize I do like the local dance of the people here which I don’t get to see at my hometown of Tamale. Hopefully I will be a local dance champion with a week more of dance practice.

Overall, I have realized change is possible and can impact positively in the lives of the people of Tolon thanks to ICS.

A glimpse into Ghana

Post By:  Kaya Cunningham

This is a typical view of the homes of Tolon, on our walk to the NFED office.

 As you are walking, you will hear many cries of “Siliminga Hello! (Siliminga means white person) from the local children that appear almost anywhere that you go. 

The view of the community is amazing, with houses only being made up of 
bungalows and thatched roundhouses.

 Households can be a collection of several roundhouses and a bungalow,
 and occasionally accommodate up to 50 people if they are holding a special occasion!

Tolon is always busy with small stalls

 and food-sellers selling things like fried yam with groundnut powder, 

or beans and rice, and you’ll always 

see women walking with gallons of water balanced effortlessly on 
their heads, travelling back from the water pumps.

 You can find anything you need in Katinga Market. Piles of old clothing for sale, spread out right next to

 food sellers frying up their goods and women selling oranges and banana’s everywhere.

 The most colourful fabric stalls are everywhere, as well as random
 electronic stalls, shoe sellers and bikes.

Tamale Cultural Centre! Here you can purchase the most amazing Ghanaian souvenirs or gifts, 

as well as beautiful original paintings and artwork, 

and even more fabric and pipes. You can find anything you need here, but they wont be having it if 
you try and haggle!

Superstitions

Blog By: Harry Parfitt

Textbooks and exams in Ghana seem relatively similar to those in the UK. The math questions include the same range of dull algebra, and devilish geometry. Geography requires knowledge of rainforests, rocks, and regional capitals, all of which is as you might expect. Other questions in a mock test paper my host brother was going through, one might not expect. What is superstition? Ok, no problem, it is an irrational belief. Why do superstitions exist? Well, they arise because of tradition, old stories and a need to explain the seemingly unexplainable. All this my bro Sule agreed with wholeheartedly. All good then; perfectly rational answers to what seemed like slightly random questions… in my opinion. Another question focused on which bodies or individuals were responsible for enforcing the law. The answer, so Sule informed me, was the Chief. This I found unlikely. Surely the Chief is not responsible for upholding the law? Certainly he is powerful and important, but he has no legal authority? To this Sule explained that in the case of a witch being identified, it was the chief who would be responsible for banishing her.

Right…

“So, do you believe witches exist?”

“One hundred percent yes.”

“But that’s just superstition isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I believe it.”

The contradiction seemed to have passed him by. He had explained only 2 minutes earlier that superstitions were irrational beliefs, which have no place in modern Ghana, and yet he confesses to hold just such beliefs. I struggled to comprehend this, but the full impact of this only hit me the next day, when, whilst writing about Sule’s ‘confession’, I asked my fellow volunteers, who mostly come from Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana whether witches were real. All answered emphatically: “Yes.” To clarify, all have at least the Ghanaian equivalent of college education, and most have attended University. These are not members of the rural illiterate, amongst whom one may expect superstition to be rife, but are well educated and intelligent Ghanaians… it was then that I understood how deep rooted such beliefs were in Ghanaian culture. Despite years of influence on Ghana by the Global North, I began to see that some pre-colonial traditions were very much alive.

                                                                                                *

I am in Ghana working with women’s income generating groups (IGGs) in exceptionally rural communities, and this work, with the Non Formal Education Division (NFED) of the Ministry of Education, has heightened my awareness of just how little some people in Tolon district are living on each week. Those in the most rural communities we have visited have no access to electricity and have to walk upwards of a mile in searing heat (38°+) to collect visibly dirty drinking water. To be clear the superstitious beliefs that I have encountered in Tolon are not limited to witches. The illuminati, devil and, of course, witches (who can be male, I was pleasantly surprised to learn), can be blamed for everything from car crashes to harvest failures. What the impact of this is, I cannot really assess. That a question on superstition was even in Sule’s paper demonstrates how established such traditional beliefs are in mainstream Ghana. Belief in the supernatural may be very traditional but it is a belief held by many living in modern Ghana, for most this confidence in beings and instances that I would never have seriously considered go beyond mere tradition, and have many religious and spiritual root also. Nonetheless, I would like to hope that our work with NFED makes a tiny indent into the effect of superstition on the profitability of the income generating groups we are supporting.

As the first ICS cohort working in Tolon District, we have been undertaking research into the current practices of the IGGs, and have drawn close parallels between the cause of key problems affecting the group and the permeating superstition in Ghanaian society. Instances such as bad harvests or a lack of rainfall, can be seen as a punishment for the actions of few as opposed to a consequence of soil erosion and deforestation. Another key obstacle to the progress of the group is that many members are not aware that they regularly fail to make any profit. Due largely to the combination of the extended period of time between purchasing raw materials and selling the finished goods and a lack of financial records. The majority of IGG members do not have a formal education, the negative effects of which are being combated by NFED – who provide literacy training in Dagbani (the local language) and a small amount of numeracy.

That is not to say that the members of our income generating groups do not understand the concept of soil erosion or the idea that there are factors beyond the control of Wayamba community for instance, that lead to reduced rainfall and therefore a shortage of drinking water. Only that these traditional, cultural and spiritual beliefs held by the community in the 21^st century are playing a larger role in answering the questions “Why can’t I grow more maize” more so than I ever would have expected before arriving in Ghana. Nor is it assumed that the people we are working with do not understand the core issues facing them and their children, on the contrary; lack of education, access to clean water and electricity and the damaging aftereffects are often citied.

However, as the innocence towards the unprofitability of their businesses demonstrates, some members of the IGGs are yet to fully grasp the root causes behind their problems, and without this, people cannot hope to find solutions. What we are here to do as volunteers is to support NFED in providing training to the group in order to help them find for themselves, the factors which prevent them from generating profit, thereby helping them  to discover solutions for their problems. The skills NFED are yet to train them in are; basic book keeping, simple math, and problem solving – to name a few – though these sessions will be focused on business, they’re also applicable to life generally.

I wonder however, after the ICS-NFED partnership is concluded at the end of 2017, if I were to come back to Tolon district and visit some of the members of the Income Generating Groups… will they have left the superstitions behind? Or will these traditional beliefs and cultural ideas still have a place in their world?