Socioserve-GhanaNewsletter

12th Edition

SOCIOSERVE-GHANA'S RITA NTOSO SUCCESSFULLY

GRADUATES FROM THE GHANAIAN WOMEN
SOCIAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (GWSLP).

T he

Programs Manager of Socioserve

Ghana (NGO), Ms. Rita Ntoso, has

graduated along with 14 other women
from the Ghanaian Women Social Leadership

Programs Manager (Socioserve-Ghana)

Program (GWSLP). The Graduation ceremony

Ms. Rita Ntoso

was held in Accra on May 2, 2016.

The Communication Strategy is meant to

The GWSLP is a program ran by New

improve the organisations internal and

Yo r k U n i v e r s i t y ( N Y U ) , W a g n e r i n

external communication as well as enhance

partnership with the University of Ghana

the organisations visibility. The organization is

with sponsorship from Mujeres por frica and

already implementing actions in the strategy

Banco Santander. The program offered a

and this is yielding very positive results.

o n e - y e a r, c o h o r t - b a s e d l e a d e r s h i p
We are grateful to CEO of Socioserve-Ghana,

development program for women in

Mrs Josephine Sackey and staff of Socioserve-

mid-level positions in Ghanaian Civil Society

Ghana for their immense support and

organisations.

encouragement.
As part of the program requirements,
We also acknowledge the immense support of

participant were expected to develop an

Dr. Rose Mensah Kutin, Ritas Program Coach.

Action Learning Project for implementation

during the one year course. Rita, knowing the

We are also thankful to NYU Wagner, Banco

important role communication plays for an

Santeder, Fundacin Mujeres por frica and the

organisation, developed a Communication

Strategy for Socioserve-Ghana.

University of Ghana for part funding the course.

SOCIOSERVE-GHANA JOINS OTHER

ORGANISATIONS FOR A JOINT LAUNCH
OF STAR-GHANA SUPPORTED ELECTION
PROJECTS
The 11 other organisations are ABANTU For
Development, Ghana Decides, Blogging Ghana,
Citi 97.3, CDD/CODEO, MUSIGA, Ghana Integrity
Initiative (GII), Ghana Federation of Disability
Organisations, African Women Lawyers Association,
FSDA, and the National Media Commission. Each
organization was given the opportunity to make a
presentation on their project and this was aired live
on Citi 97.3fm. Socioserve-Ghana was represented
by Miss Rita Ntoso, Programs Manager and Etsey
Atisu, Communications Ofcer.
Mr. Ibrahim Tanko, Program Manager of STARGhana In his speech delivered at the program

Socioserve-Ghana in March 2016 was awarded

commended all 35 organisations awarded contracts

a contract by STAR-Ghana with funding from

under the Election Call. He indicated the importance

European Union, DANIDA and UKAID under their

of mobilizing the citizenry in ensuring a successful

Election 2016 call. Socioserve Ghana under this

election this year. He asked grant partners to

project is working in ve (5) rural constituencies

harvest lessons from past projects and activities to

namely Kwahu Afram Plains North and South in

ensure that we get better or do not jeopardize what

the Eastern Region and Krachi East, West and

we have. It is his hope that working together,

Nchumuru in the Volta Region. The project aims

we can make the elections credible and peaceful.

at contributing towards free and fair participation

He urged media grant partners to provide platforms

of rural citizens in Ghanas election 2016.

for all groups and stakeholders for effective peace

process.

On April 21, 2016 Socioserve-Ghana joined 11 other

organisations being supported by STAR-Ghana for
a joint project launch at the Ghana-India Ko Annan
Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra. The aim of the
joint project launch was to foster unity and synergy
among grant partners in ensuring the achievement
of project targets leading to credible elections come
November 2016.
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A PONTOON EXPERIENCE:
A SOCIOSERVE-GHANA STORY
Our

Senior Programs Ofcer, Dominic

Kulariba Baba just returned from two

separate trips over two weeks in the
Northern parts of the Volta Region and
Eastern Region with two other members
of the Socioserve-Ghana team. As part
of the journey, the team had to cross the
Volta River twice to get to their destinations.
In this short story, Dominic shares his
captivating and nearly frightening story about
his rst experience travelling with a pontoon
over a river to get to some of the remotest
areas of the country while describing the
experience as more of a worthwhile necessity
than an uncertain irrelevance.
It was my rst time using a pontoon: I was
crossing from one part of the country to another
across a river and the experience was a mixed
one. Crossing the river was not exactly a choice
I had to make: it was a necessity and I prepared
for it although I was anxious and uncertain
about the chances we had crossing.

On top of all these, travelling that long journey

to districts like Kwahu Afram Plains North and South,
Krachi West and Krachi Nchumuru meant we had to
race against time to get to the pontoons on time if not
we risk sleeping at the river bank till the next morning.
That too put us at risk of having to travel on dangerous
roads in the dark just to get to our destinations.
Interestingly enough on our way to Donkorkrom, we
had been delayed on our way to join the pontoon by an
accident that had happened ahead of us and upon
speeding the rest of the journey to cross with the last
pontoon, we had to wait for long on the river, amidst
a heavy storm because the pontoon was not full and
the operators risk running at a lose if they move
without the pontoon getting full. This, of course, pushed

I had no idea about how long or short, how

our journey to the other side late into the evening but we

exciting or boring, or even how frightening the

made it amidst silent hopes and prayers that we get to

journey would be but I still had to go.

our destination safely because we had been warned of

Duty Called!!!! Besides being overly overloaded,

how dangerous those roads can be at night. It was

the pontoon we travelled on to Kete Krachi in the

therefore no surprise when upon getting to our

Krachi West Constituency called the Ndewura

destination we heard of an armed robbery

Jakpa was somehow old, no life jackets (as I

incident on the same road we had used few minutes ago

had imagined that everyone on board should

What kept me going? Socioserve-Ghanas objective of

have been provided with one), and I was truly

reaching the excluded! I had to play my part to contribute

anxious. My anxiety was particularly being fueled

to this objective. Looking back at the work we did over

by the fact that on that day, it was reported that

there, our engagements with the citizens of those

a boat had capsized and many lives had been

districts, I would do this trip over and over again - it feels

lost: I had reason to be scared.

fullling to be part of a good cause.

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JOURNALISTS RECEIVE TWO-DAY Socioserve-Ghana

TRAINING ON PROFESSIONAL AND
CONFLICT-SENSITIVE REPORTING
Media Trainer and Board Member of the MFWA,
Prof Kwame Karikari who facilitated the trainings
entreated the participants to know that while just
anyone has the right to own a media house so far
as they go through the appropriate procedures,
publishing information on their platforms that violate
the freedoms of the public must be disalllowed.
He said politicians are capable of using the media

The

media plays a very important role in the

to play divisions and incite violence among the

society of acting as the bridge between the

populace and that is why there is the need for them

governing (authorities) and the governed

to ensure that the Rule of Law is applied through their

(citizens). The powerful presence of the

watchdog role of checking both incumbent and

media is recognized in how it is able to form

opposition parties. The media has a responsibility to

public opinion and help people make

be responsible and professional in its duties so as to

choices about their everyday lives. This role

promote rich discourse and promote issues-based

of the media (fourth estate) cannot be

decisions during the election, He said.

overlooked or downplayed especially when

we nd ourselves in an election yea.

Prof Kwame Karikari added that the exercise of

monitoring radio stations for hate speech and indecent

It is for this reason that Socioserve-Ghana with

language is not aimed at pinning media house down

technical expertise from the Media Foundation for

or curtail their freedoms but it aims at ensuring that

West Africa, organized an intensive training

politicians use these platforms to sell their issues and

workshop for some selected journalists drawn

.not peddle insults.

from radio stations across the country on

professional and conict-sensitive reporting at the
Hotel Starr Villa at Kpong in the Eastern region
from the 28th-29th June 2016. The program was
under the Promoting Electoral Integrity in Ghana
2016 and Beyond Project which is supported by
the European Union. Participants were drawn
from Rite Fm, Thank you Fm, Cruz Fm, Beyond
Fm, Victory Fm, De- Beat Fm, Radio Windy Bay,
Nhyira Fm, Luv Fm, Bridge Fm, Bohye Fm and
Pure Fm

The participants were taken through practical

exercises, identifying indecent language on the
airwaves as well as operational denitions of terms
that the MFWA would be using to identify indecency
on the radio.

Socioserve-Ghana
MORE PICTURES ON
THE TRAINING WORKSHOP
FOR JOURNALISTS ON
PROFESSIONAL
AND CONFLICT-SENSITIVE
REPORTING

Socioserve-Ghana
SSG HOLDS A ONE DAY TRAINING
FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEERS,
AND OPINION LEADERS ON MALARIA
Malaria

infection during pregnancy is a major public

health problem, with substantial risks for the mother,

her fetus and the neonate. In order to ensure that
pregnant women are protected and prevented from
getting Malaria, Socioserve-Ghana on April 1, 2016,
SSG held a days training program for community
health volunteers, chiefs and opinion leaders at
the Lower Manya Municipal Assembly conference hall
to sensitize them on Malaria prevention, treatment and
control. This forms part of a project titled Malaria
Prevention being implemented in 20 communities
within the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality with funding
support from the National Malaria Control Program.
The trained volunteers are expected to conduct
house to house visits to identify all pregnant women
within their communities and encourage those who
are not attending ante natal to do so in order to
receive Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria.
(IPTp). Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in
pregnancy is a full therapeutic course of antimalarial
medicine given to pregnant women at routine antenatal
care visits, regardless of whether the recipient is
infected with malaria or not.
Socioserve-Ghana is keen on this because uptake of
IPTp reduces maternal malaria episodes, maternal and
fetal anaemia, placental parasitaemia, low birth weight,
and neonatal mortality. Opinion leaders were trained to
act as advocates and encourage women in their
community to visit the hospital when pregnant.
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Socioserve-Ghana

Our Vision
An empowered society for sustainable development.

Our Mission
..working to ensure that vulnerable and excluded people have
access to quality education, good health, equal rights
and a protected environment
by creating empowering partnerships for sustainable
development. In all our dealings,we uphold ethical
standards, open dialogue and respect

Core values
open dialogue, respect, professionalism, teamwork
and capacity enhancemennt

Contact details
Socioserve-Ghana (NGO)
Location: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Floors
GCB Building,Akosombo
P. O. Box AB 250, Akosombo
Tel: 024-4167851
E-mail: socioservegh@yahoo.com
Website: www.socioservegh.org

Serving Society