northern ghana
Located in West Africa, Ghana is one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s most stable countries, and has reaped the benefits of a stable democracy in the form of a growing economy. While Ghana’s poverty has dramatically declined over the past few decades, in Ghana’s north over 50% of Ghanaians still live on less than $2 a day.
Working in Northern Ghana thus provides the perfect conditions to establish a model of charity that is scalable for use in other impoverished areas of the world – a population that struggles with extreme poverty, yet lives in a stable political and economic situation.
With a peaceful history relative to the rest of West Africa, a relatively easy culture to work with, limited bureaucracy, a basic functioning infrastructure, and a growing economy, Northern Ghana provides an ideal environment for rapid development and the testing of programs for our new model.
tamale, ghana
Our head office in Ghana is located in Tamale, the North’s largest city and home to over 350,000 people. Made up principally of the Dagomba tribe, the population is comprised of people who are Christian, Muslim and Traditionalist, living together peacefully with a respect for each others’ faiths.
Tamale is reputed to be one of the fastest growing cities in West Africa. Although it is incredibly limited in natural resources, it serves as a convergence zone and is the capital of Ghana’s three northern regions: the Northern, Upper East and Upper West.
Seasonal subsistence farming is the main occupation, and, with only one rainy season per year and one chance to harvest, food security remains a constant issue for 50% of people in Ghana’s Northern Region that live on less than $2 per day.
People in Northern Ghana are very welcoming and friendly, receiving visitors with open arms. Despite the incredible hardship that the people in face, they are generally a happy people who have a good sense of humour and enjoy socializing, celebrating, and meeting new people.
