PROGRAM AREAS

AFORD’s works in collaboration, partnership, government agencies and with local communities and other stakeholders to increase and improve access to economic, social services, infrastructure and other development opportunities to the underserved in Ghana.

Specifically, we are working to achieve our vision with the following objectives:

To enhance economic opportunities in deprived communities through skills development, livelihood opportunities, job creation, income generation and poverty reduction.
To improve wellbeing of communities through access to improved safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and basic health and hygiene.
Strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to identify appropriate mechanisms for sustained conservation, protection and utilization of our environmental resources.
Support farmers in the identification and adoption of climate resilient agricultural best practices for increased agricultural production, postharvest loss reduction, processing, job creation, increased incomes and social protection.
To improve knowledge, service delivery and living conditions of communities through capacity development, good governance and access to information
Promote policy dialogue to enhance the formulation and implementation of appropriate development policies for the efficient utilization of resources for poverty reduction and development.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Water resources development one of AFORD’s priority. WASH services has been provided in 110 communities to ensure the existence of reliable supplies of water ranging from shallow hand-dug wells; rainwater harvesting in schools and communities. We have also integrated sanitation into our water programs, constructing traditional and ventilated improved pit latrines (VIP), and other types of household and institutional latrines thereby ensuring that water supplies are not contaminated by human and animal waste. AFORD has been providing water to critically deprived communities and schools. In addition, AFORD has also promoted community-based management of water points and cost-recovery systems, whereby local communities are engaged in all aspects of project development and learn how to manage and maintain their water points.

Environment

To address environment, climate change issues, AFORD works in the deprived areas of environment/climate change in rural Northern Ghana. The aim is improving the quality of life of the poor and marginalised people in the most environmentally affected areas.

We support integrated sound conservation measures with farming practices to improve soils and crop yields at low cost. Our work to protect and conserve the environment has occurred within the context of its agricultural programs. Reforestation, soil restoration and conservation, tree planting and village woodlots, and agro-forestry are some of the interventions We have consistently worked with communities to instill greater understanding of the long-term, potentially negative consequences of environmental degradation and to engage them in sustainable natural resource management programs.

Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition

AFORD’s agricultural programs respond to the needs of rural farmers, enabling them to improve their skills and increase their productivity through access to information and modern technology. Our priorities focus on crop productivity, diversification, food processing and marketing as a means to increase household food security and raise household incomes. We also seek to promote enhanced family nutrition. Our provide: capacity building and organizational formation; credit to farmers; small-scale business training; inclusion, financial inclusion and literacy, improved seeds; training in improved production techniques, post-harvest loss management and agro-food processing; and nutrition training.

Health and Nutrition

Over the years AFORD has worked with communities and have improved nutrition with balanced diets from crop diversification.

AFORD has also been working to increase the use of health products by making quality products available and communicating a variety of behavior change messages that encourage their correct and consistent use. We increase the availability of quality health products in communities in Northern Ghana’s in collaboration with health partners, collaborators and local health centers. We also work to increase the knowledge of and demand for socially marketed health products.

We works to; (i) strengthened capacity for the development of community nutrition policies and programs, (ii) improved quality of integrated nutrition services for women and children in project communities (iii) enhanced community capability for, and implementation of, improved nutrition and hygiene interventions and nutrition communication.

Policy Advocacy and Good Governance

AFORD promotes citizens and community (women and youth) participation, transparent and accountable public governance, improved public service delivery, and social accountability through productive engagement with government, networking and policy dialogue.

Advocacy processes operate at the political, social and individual levels, and work to mobilize resources, political and social commitment for social and/or policy change. Our advocacy strategy aims to create an enabling environment to encourage equitable resource allocation and remove barriers to policy implementation.

To promote social inclusion and gender equality, AFORD works and broadens political space for, and entitlements of people with disability, the girl child and women by increasing their participation and voice in decision-making in local government decision making, planning and budgeting processes through advocacy, lobbying, skills training, participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E), information sharing, alliance building, technical and financial backstopping.

Poverty Reduction and Social Protection

The livelihood program focuses self-sustaining communities by seeking opportunities for young people and women to avail of skills trainings, information and resources for community livelihood projects. These activities are largely on capacity development and support in agro-processing, agriculture, credit facilities, petty trading among others.