Collaborators
Accra Metropolitan Assembly
With the support of the Mayor, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly is partnering with a range of civil society actors, including NGO’s, the private sector, and local communities, to address several public health challenges that Accra faces. Old Fadama, with many residents working in the nearby Agbogbloshie Market, has become an important part of how the food economy functions, feeding not only the city but the greater region. Securing proper sanitary conditions in and around this market is vital for the health of Accra as a whole. AMA-DPH’s typical efforts have been very successful in other areas, but were unsuccessful in Old Fadama prior to the concept phase.
The Catholic Sisters
The Catholic Sisters in Accra, Ghana have an ongoing relationship with local community members, and are dedicated to improving the lives of people on the ground. They have a history of working communities to establish ways for local men and women to alleviate social problems. Organizations were identified to bridge the divide that exists between government and communities and Catholic Sisters were selected because they are perhaps the best-known actors that make consistent, long-term commitments to poor and marginalized communities. The congregations of Catholic Sisters led the development of better relationships between the Accra municipal government and the Old Fadama community in the concept phase of the project.
Society of the Infant Jesus
The Kayayei youth association
The Kayayei Youth Association is a community association of women head porters (kayayei). The kayayei make a living moving goods throughout Accra’s marketplaces, and are migrant workers who have settled in Old Fadama. The Kayayei Youth Association is designed to provide a voice for this particular population, but as a community organization it struggles to access the resources necessary to address the many challenges facing the kayayei.
National Catholic Health Service
The National Catholic Health Service (NCHS) is an independent not-for-profit healthcare association run by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference. NCHS has a history of effective public-private nonprofit partnerships. In close collaboration with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, NCHS has organized a network of 34 secondary level hospitals and 68 primary health care clinics throughout 20 Dioceses, providing health care services to over 27% of Ghana’s total population - nearly seven million people. In addition, NCHS successfully reduced the rising cost of medicines procured for its hospitals and clinics by 25% through the creation of the Pooled Procurement Programme (PPP). Two National Catholic Health Service officers make up the field research team. Because the project involves participatory action research, this role also includes facilitation of the collaboration. Facilitation roles include linking, bridging, brokering, mediating and serving as an intermediary. Throughout the collaborative process, the facilitator created a platform for stakeholder discussions, helping establish a shared language reflecting the stakeholders’ beliefs.
Old fadama youth development association
Old Fadama Youth Development Association is the community association governed by the chiefs of sixteen tribes represented in Old Fadama. The association represents Old Fadama residents, although this group is not homogeneous; decision-making and negotiation often take place along tribal lines.
Positive action for porter girls - Madina
Positive Action for Porter Girls (PAPG) is a one-room respite center in the Madina market. PAPG teaches kayaye informal classes on math and English, health topics such as communicable diseases and personal hygiene, and because of tribal divisions among the girls, two-day leadership formation to help them see their colleagues as one, in unity. They can also just come here to relax or play games. PAPG has paid for a number of kayayei to register for the Ghana National Health Insurance card.