Year: 2018
Hawa Yakubu’s Legacy lives on: A conversation with Linda
Hawa Yakubu’s Legacy lives on: A conversation with Linda
In 2010, as a part of its efforts to immortalise the works and achievements of African Women whose legacies of community development were not always documented,
AWDF instituted a fund in memory of Hawa Yakubu, a Ghanaian politician, a Member of Parliament in the Fourth Republic of Ghana and also a Minister for Tourism. Hawa Yakubu’s legacy is one of selflessness, dedication to the development of her community and the development of young women. As such the Hawa Yakubu fund benefited young women between 18-30, in tertiary institutions in the three Northern regions of Ghana.
We caught up with one of the young women, Linda Lariba Atibilla who was selected as a Hawa Yakubu award winner in 2011 and she spoke to us about her journey and her own start up initiative that was born out of the seed funding that she received as part of her award.
How did you get involved in the Hawa Yakubu Grants process and what was it like for you?
The Hawa Yakubu grantees were selected through an essay competition in 2011. We were awarded $5000 each, half went towards paying for our education with the other half going into a women focused initiative. When I had to choose the initiative I wanted to create, I already had a fair idea of the community that I wanted to work with. I come from a rural community in the Boko West District, called Benaba and female migration is a tragic part of life there. Girls disappear often, only to reappear working in cocoa farms or on the streets of Accra and Kumasi. Through the Hawa Yakubu fund I was able to engage 15 young women who had been victims of forced migration and create Hope Givers Company Limited to begin working in shea butter production. Over the years the organisation has really grown.
In the beginning I would have to invest 70% of my personal salary in the organisation but now with the organisation’s growth, I’ve had to resign and start working in it full time. We now have a factory and a website (thanks to some students from Manchester University) and today the organisation creates market access for over 615 rural women agricultural producers.
We’re currently exploring producing value added products- as we’ve realised how little access women shea farmers have to a larger market. Often times as the value chain moves up there are fewer women present, and we want to create more space within the market for the producers of shea. We are also exploring using other natural resources such as moringa, baobab and neem. There are times when I’ll be able to connect with other women producing baobab or neem products and take them to trade fairs, and help them gain access to a ready market for their products as well. The organisation is currently working on getting more machinery for our factory to allow for more mechanised production.
This has been a real learning journey for me especially when it comes to market production. The other young women who received the grant have acted as a good network for me, continually sharing knowledge and opportunities with me.
Putting Women In the Driver’s seat of their own lives: Meet NEWIG’s female drivers
Putting Women In the Driver’s seat of their own lives: Meet NEWIG’s female drivers
Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG) was formed with the goal of improving the conditions of the less privileged in society, especially women. It does this through economic empowerment, by creating access to vocational training and providing them with a network that could act as political leverage within society. This helps them develop common political agendas and action strategies, re-group and engage in critical analysis of their lives, society and the world at large.
In 2017 NEWIG, with the support of the African Women’s Development fund, launched a new program: “Young Women-in-Professional Driving”. It’s main objective was to empower disadvantaged young women to become professional drivers and enable them to gain remunerative ‘livelihoods with dignity’.
The programme comprised three modules, spread over 4 months. Upon graduation, these young women become professional and commercial chauffeurs and are deployed in various organisations. The programme also enhances their rights awareness and also to helps them become independent and confident women, who are able to have more autonomy over their lives and their choices.
Other institutions provide technical skills as part of the training. These include the Ghana Armed Forces Mechanical Transport School (for theory and practical driving training), Army Combat School (for self-defence training), 37 Military Hospital (for first aid training) and Armed Forces Fire Service Department (for fire prevention/fighting training).
We caught up with one of the beneficiaries of the program, MARY AGBOLI, to talk about her experiences and what she gained from being involved in the programme.
Describe the programme to us:
The NEWIG programme was organised to train women to occupy vacant spaces in male dominated occupations. Since most occupations have been male dominated Mrs Mawusi (founder of NEWIG) took it upon herself to train women to occupy those positions. The programme really benefited me, as at that time I was an untrained teacher and I didn’t know I could go higher from there. I have something, a skill and a certificate that I can boast of one day.
What was the training like?
The training wasn’t easy at all. We were trained by soldiers during the bootcamp section of the training and had to do personal training and classes all at the same time. It was really hectic but I had a lot of experiences. When I finished a lot of people asked me why I chose to drive, being a woman . I told them that it was what I wanted to do, and I gave my best to the programme.
A lot of men they are surprised at the field that I’m in. People are surprised that I’m a commercial bus driver and always say “how come? You are tiny– what do you use to drive?”. I found these comments discouraging, but I persevered and I took all of their surprise and criticism as fuel to complete the programme. I’m currently waiting for my license to be issued, and then I’ll commence work as a fully licensed bus driver for the rapid transport bus system **(Ayalolo)!
How did the programme benefit you?
The Newig program positively affected my life. It was through this program that I managed to be trained as a bus driver, which is a very good opportunity that I had access to. It’s not easy, but despite the criticism it’s what I want to do and what I’m now licensed to do.