How passion drives potential
Some Duapa Mothers' Union team and members, and our grants team
In the last few months I’ve had the great privilege to visit a number of Ghana Somubi Dwumadie grantees, as well as hosting them all in Accra for a learning event. One of the things I love about field trips is how much I learn about people’s situations which I just would never find written down in a report, no matter how well written by the grantees – and they are well written! One of my most recent trips was to visit Duapa Mothers’ Union in Kwame Danso, the district capital of Sene West, in Bono East region.
It is a mark of a particularly under-developed region when the road to the district capital is practically impassable. It really brought home how challenging it is for the Duapa team to move around their district and to visit communities.
The road from Atebubu to Kwame Danso
Operating out of a single room, Duapa have two desks, and one cupboard for their materials. The team hotspot from their phones when they need to use the internet. We visited for three days, and on the third day, there was no electricity, and they have no generator. These logistical difficulties make Duapa’s positive energy and amazing work in addressing stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities or mental health conditions all the more remarkable. We were really privileged to meet members of the Board, and we visited Akenten community to find out more about the positive impact of Duapa’s work on people’s lives. We met Hannah, who lives with her disabled sister Afia. Afia never used to leave the house and relied on Hannah for everything. Since the support from Duapa Mothers’ Union, working with the whole community to stop stigmatising her, Afia now has a stall of her own selling food stuffs, and says she feels happy.
Hannah and Afia going to the community information centre
Back in September I had visited Adaklu Waya community as part of a trip to find out more about how African Disability Institute (ADI - formerly VOICE Ghana) were implementing their grant across Volta and Oti regions. A mature organisation of people with disabilities, with impressive ambitions, ADI were just redecorating their office when we visited.
One of the most interesting aspects of their approach to addressing stigma and discrimination, in addition to their work on developing positive language, has been to get buy-in from traditional leaders to establish sanction mechanisms as a way of re-stating community norms and expected behaviours. We met Togbe Amafu who said that if parts of his community are suffering, then he suffers too, and he was very committed to working with other local chiefs to address stigma and discrimination in their communities too.
Togbe Amafu with ADI team members and Lyla
When I asked Francis, ADI Executive Director, to pick their single most important activity, he felt it was the work of the Inclusion Ambassadors, who had been selected by, embedded in, and supported by local communities to address stigma and discrimination. We met an Inclusion Ambassador who was determined to keep advocating for inclusion even after the grant had ended.
One of the great things about ADI is how they have actively supported and built up other organisations working in the space, especially Women with Disability Development & Advocacy Organisation (WODAO) who they have included in their work, and supported to successfully apply for one of our programme grants. A few months ago I wrote about the huge value that peer support approaches bring to developing organisations and ADI were strongly featured for their role. One of the other organisations featured, ABAK Foundation, also provide informal support and guidance to our very own Duapa Mothers’ Union.
WODAO team and Lyla
At the recent two-day learning event held for grantees, the grants team organised a networking session and dinner between grantees across two grants rounds (Evidence and Effectiveness grants and Legacy and Sustainability grants rounds). Taking a ‘speed-dating’ type approach we made sure every attendee talked to everyone else. For the grantee organisations who were old comrades, it was a great opportunity to catch-up and check in. Meanwhile for newer organisations it was a wonderful opportunity to identify friends and allies across the disability and mental health landscape.
Lamnatu from Songtaba and David from GBU in deep discussion
Juventus from GNAD and Bright from ADI engaging with support of Francis the sign language interpreter
Reflecting back on these activities, probably the most enlightening or exciting moment for me was when we were holding the Duapa exit meeting. A man from National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) walked in, saying he’d heard of Duapa from the District Co-ordinating Director and had come to find out more and possibly partner with them. Knowing that ADI have also worked with NCCE I suggested Duapa give them a call for some informal guidance. What a lovely, hopeful way to conclude the visit, connecting people, and with a glimpse of a positive future to come.
If you want to find out more about Ghana Somubi Dwumadie’s work with women with disabilities, check out these films, or watch this panel discussion from a recent conference
If you want to find out more about work addressing stigma and discrimination, check out this learning product on accessible and inclusive social behaviour change, or watch some of these films. There was also a recent panel discussion on social behaviour change you might want to listen to.
Finally, if you want to find out more about how Ghana Somubi Dwumadie tries to make granting inclusive and accessible, here is a learning product on it.