Wa, June 06, GNA – ActionAid Ghana has launched a COVID-19 Response Project to distribute both food and non-food relief items worth GH¢2,190,000.00 to more than 15,000 households and 15 rural government hospitals across the country.
Food items to be distributed under the project include 3,117 sacks of rice; 1,314 boxes of oil; and 330 packs of cocoa powder.
For non-food items, a total of 15,000 reusable nose masks, 45 cartons of hand gloves, 45 cartons of disinfectants, 75 gallons of liquid soap, 934 boxes of soap, over 600 boxes of hand sanitizers, 500 veronica buckets, and 290 boxes of sanitary pads will be distributed.
Speaking during the project launch in Wa, Mr John Nkaw, ActionAid Ghana Head of Programmes and Policies, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a lot of pressure on the economies of nations especially developing countries, hence the urgent need for organisations to respond in diverse ways to help their governments.
He said it was against this backdrop that ActionAid Ghana developed the COVID-19 Response Project to contribute towards Ghana Government’s effort at containing the pandemic.
“The plan also demonstrates the adaptability, flexibility and agility of ActionAid to build upon the resilience of communities, vulnerable women, youth and children that we work with in Ghana”, he said.
Mr Nkaw said ActionAid Ghana understands that curtailing the spread of the virus meant an understanding of the complexities of issues which bothered on gender inequality, education, healthcare, and gender responsive public services, hence the wisdom behind the implementation of the project in three phases.
He said phase one of the response, was characterized by a series of awareness creation campaigns on health and safety protocols through the social media, community radio and by the use of Information, Education and Communication materials.
In addition, they have also handed over the ActionAid Survivor’s Centre in Wa to the Municipal Assembly for use as COVID-19 isolation center.
Phase two commenced on June 1, 2020 and involved the distribution of food and non-food relief items to 31 districts across the country including Jirapa, Lawra and Sissala East Municiplaities as well as Wa East and Lambussie Districts in the Upper West Region.
For the third phase, Mr Nkaw said, the response would consist of another relief package for an additional 10,000 households and a National Advocacy Campaign which would focus on the need for the provision of Gender Responsive Public Services as well as Enhanced Social Protection interventions for people living in poverty especially women and girls.
He expressed profound gratitude to all stakeholders that worked with them on the project which was being funded by the European Union (EU) under the Northern Ghana Integrated Project and the Players of The People’s Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom (UK) under the Building the Agency of Adolescent Young Girl’s for Inclusive Leadership Project among other donors.
GNA