MASO is a five year programme, focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth (aged 18-25) in Ghana’s cocoa communities.
“There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women” – The late Kofi Annan.
The MASO programme started almost three years ago agrees completely with the above quote by the late Kofi Annan.
Indeed, for total development to occur, all groups of people regardless of their sex must be carried along and empowered to contribute their maximum best to make this a reality. Usually in situations where a group of people are sidelined and not involved in the development process, that development becomes unsustainable. The result is a vicious cycle of tension, abuse and entrenched poverty. Many domestic violence cases have been linked to a lack of power and control on the part of women. In most cases, women who do not have any earnings of their own, do not have any decision making powers. Incomes, in many households, is synonymous to voice so the one that is able to bring something to the table is the one who has a voice. So in order to have a really happy household, community and world at large it is important to ensure that in our quest to attain sustainable development we pay attention to women who form a high percentage of the population.
It is in support of this that the MASO programme pushes for the inclusion of women in its intervention by aiming for 40% women participation. For almost three years that the programme has been operational, it has succeeded in training over 2,000 young women out of a total of 5,000 youth in the first two cohorts. These young women are making huge contributions to Ghana’s cocoa sector through either direct farming or service provision.
How MASO is mobilizing young female to go into cocoa farming
MASO All Female Agro Academy in Adjeikrom, Asawinso WR
MASO creates an enabling environment for young women to thrive in the programme. These strategies include the identification and training of community gender champions, who act as ambassadors for gender inclusivity in the various communities. These champions seek to diffuse long standing stereotypes that reinforce gender inequalities in the various communities.
Secondly, child minding services are provided for nursing mothers so that they are able to pay attention fully during training’s and other programme activities. Many of the young women are either nursing mothers or pregnant women and they have to carry their children with them to meetings since they do not have any support at home should they leave their children behind. As a result, many young ladies either do not attend training’s or sit in training’s with divided attention because of their little children. To manage this, a makeshift nursery is provided and minders are engaged to take care of the children for the duration of the activity so their mothers can participate fully in whatever is going on.
STORY OF A MASO YOUNG LADY
One of such women is Mawuse Hotor, who hails from Akome Gbota in the Volta region of Ghana. Mawuse Hotor is a 26 year Senior High School graduate. She could not further her education due to financial constraints. As a result, she traveled to the city to look for jobs which in most cases are non-existent. It was while she was in the city struggling to find a decent source of income that the MASO programme debuted in her village. Her parents who are farmers saw the prospects of the programme and informed her to come back to the village and ‘try her luck’ with farming. Although she hesitated initially, she eventually made up her mind and returned to the village and enrolled in the agro academy component of the programme.
After going through the training, she started her own farm. Currently, Mawuse is a proud owner of a two and half acre cocoa farm. She has started earning money from the food crops that were intercropped in her farm. She has been able to save some money and hopes to begin teacher training in the coming months. Mawuse has also sharpened her leadership and soft skills.
Mawuse is one of the leaders of the MASO Youth Network. Engagements through the Network has broaden her world view.
Mawuse Hotor weeding her farm
In her own words:
“I can see that my confidence level has improved greatly and I have a better self-esteem. I am now respected in my family because I am able to contribute financially and also support other members of my family. In my community also, my status has improved because not many women have ventured into cocoa farming. I am a better person now than I was 3 years ago”.
Indeed, Mawuse’s story is enough inspiration to reinforce the efforts on women empowerment and equality as key contributors to sustainable development.
Article is written by Stephanie Donu, Youth and Gender Coordinator of Solidaridad and Gender Lead of the MASO Programme
