This series shows the photographs I made for local NGO. In Ghana. I worked for the Youth Harvest Foundation. This organisation supports young people in northern Ghana on their way to a self-reliant, self-sufficient and self-determined life. In northern Ghana, there is limited access to quality education. Lack of comprehensive sexual health education and services, teenage pregnancies, child marriage and abject poverty are some of the factors that can cause young people to drop out of school. Their programmes are focused on adolescents sexual and reproductive health and rights, entrepreneurial and employable skills and agri-business and market system development. My job was to join the local employees on their work for the different programmes and to make photo’s of all their different activities. A selection of these photo’s can be seen in this series.
Schools
These photo’s are made at two schools in a rural are in northern Ghana, called Bawku. This is a poor area, where a lot of kids and teenagers do not go to school or drop out od school, because of pregnancy or a forced marriage. In this area the NGO gives sexual health education and lessons about child marriage.
Farmers
A lot of farmer’s children have to help on the field, and therefore are not able to go to school. The objective of this project is to contribute to poverty reduction and economic development of farmers by improving household incomes, food security and employment of beneficiaries across the rice value chain; especially women entrepreneurs who carry out par boiling of rice. By improving the income, there is more money to send the children to school and less need to have the children working on the field. The project takes both rice farmers and parboilers through business skills trainings in order to improve upon their production activities. The farmers are also given good agriculture practice (GAP) training to ensure that the productivity can be increased. These photo’s are made in two different area’s in Nothern Ghana, where farmers are given theoretical and practical lessons.
Stakeholder meeting
Regularly meetings are held with important stake holders, like heads of regional districts and school managers. In these meetings a lot of important issues are discussed and the NGO gets input from the stakeholders.
Entrepreneurial skills
Various projects are focussed on youth skill building. Giving them a first step up in a practical working environment will make youth self-reliant and open job opportunities. These pictures are made at a smoothie bar and a sewing shop. In both young people are working and learning in a pracital environment.
Football club
The aim of the football club is to give poor children the chance to play sports. Throughout the week children can attend football trainings that are given by Ghanaian trainers, who are regularly supported by western volunteers. The parents of the children do not have much money and so participation in the Harvest Academy is free of charge.
