USAID RING supports 150 Households with Small Ruminants At Damongo

The West Gonja District Assembly with support from the Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project has presented 762 small ruminants to 150 vulnerable households in four communities in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region to help improve their livelihoods and nutrition status.

The beneficiary communities are; Soalepe, Bonyanto, Mognori and Damongo zongo. The RING intervention is implemented through a collaborative approach with 17 District Assemblies (DAs) in Northern Region and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) to improve the livelihood and nutritional status of vulnerable households in targeted communities in the Region.

The distribution of the small ruminants falls under the livelihood, agriculture and WASH component of the RING project, which aims to improve the nutrition of households through increased access and consumption of diverse quality food among target households, especially among women and children under five as well improve behaviors related to nutrition and hygiene.

Presenting the animals to beneficiary households in Bonyanto community in the West Gonja District on Friday, 30^th July, 2015, the District Planning Officer, Mr. Toyibu Abdul-Hamid, who represented the West Gonja District Chief Executive, Mr. Kassim Ali Bakari called on the Chiefs and elders of the community to impress upon the beneficiary households not to sell the animals before two years to allow the animals to multiply.

“Selling the animals before 2 years will defeat the purpose of the RING project, the animals are for you, no one will ever take them back, so take care of them well,” the DCE emphasized.

Mr. Ali Bakari also appealed to husbands of beneficiary women and the entire households to support the women to properly take care of the animals, especially feeding and maintaining good sanitation and hygiene in their animal pens as the benefits will trickle down to the whole household.

He said the aim of the RING project is to build the resiliency of vulnerable households in Northern Region against malnutrition, particularly children and women of reproductive age as well as improve their livelihoods through livelihood, agriculture and WASH activities. Mr. Ali Bakari expressed his profound gratitude to the USAID, RING and the people of the United States of America for their kind gesture.

The West Gonja District Director of Agriculture, Mr. S. A. Issahaku advised the beneficiary households to constantly be in contact with the Community Live Stock Workers trained for their communities and should not hesitate to report any incidence of disease outbreak or animal ill-health to them for the needed attention. Mr. Issahaku explained that beneficiary households and Community Livestock Workers have been trained on housing for small ruminants, disease control, disease recognition, supplementary feeding, and management and care for small ruminants. The Community livestock Workers have also been equipped with basic kits and vaccines to support the beneficiary households. Mr. Issahaku further appealed to the beneficiary households to maintain regular sanitation and hygiene in their pens to ensure the growth and proper development of their animals.

The Chief of Bonyantor, Chief Yahaya Jankeren thanked the West Gonja District Assembly, RING and the USAID for the support and gave the assurance that the beneficiary women will be given the needed support to take good care of the animals to benefit the entire households and community. Chief Jankeren said he and his elders will make sure that no beneficiary sells the animals before two years in order to allow the animals to multiply well and increase in value.

RING, which is a USAID funded project is currently being implemented in 17 MMDAs in the Northern Region.