GROW with MEDA – Tamale, Ghana Sept 2017 – April 2019
As the Close Out Coordinator for the final 18 months of MEDA’s Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project, I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of empowering rural women in Northern Ghana. While my role was office-centered, contrasting with my prior field experiences (WorldCover, Saha Global and my USAID Externship) , I recognized the vital role of robust administration and logistics in project success. I project managed the closeout process of the program and operations of GROW, a Canadian funded agriculture and women’s empowerment project that trained over 23,000 women farmers on how to grow and process soybean as a crop to feed and support their families livelihoods. These farmers were also trained on how to engage with markets more effectively to get the best price for their harvest. In this role, I came in to create an organizational system of HR documentation for internal staff and then quickly took on more responsibilities collecting supporting financial documentation from local partner organizations for the Canadian HQ finance team to overseeing the close out of the project until the very last day. As I look through my phone’s photo albums over the past 18 months some key moment come to mind:
- Organized resume, interviewing and job search workshops for local staff and connected them to other resources to aid in their transition after their time with MEDA.
- Organized two financial training workshops for five local partner organizations financial teams
- Attending a land tenure meeting at the House of Chiefs about women’s access to land in Northern Ghana
- Managed the transition of remaining physical assets of value to local women’s organizations
- Assisted in the implementation of final GROW Technology Fair with program and administrative teams
- Dealt with logistics after an unexpected safety and security incident on our way to Wa for a weeklong training
- Attended a week long safety and security training on emergency response in rural areas which was really practical and hands on
In a time when movements like #TimesUp and #MeToo were highlighting the global struggle for women’s rights, GROW was actively making a difference on the ground. The project’s focus on improving food security by supporting over 21,000 women soybean farmers was not just about increasing yields; it was about building a foundation for lasting economic independence and social change. From facilitating access to farming technology like MotorKing motorized tricycles to engaging Male Gender Activists (MGAs) to promote gender equality, GROW took a holistic approach to address the multifaceted challenges faced by these women.
One of the most impactful aspects of GROW was its focus on nutrition and value-added processing. Through workshops and training, women learned how to diversify their soybean products, turning raw soybeans into nutritious and marketable goods. I had the chance to interview Rahama Mahama, a mother of four. She exemplifies this transformation. Before GROW, her farming efforts struggled to meet her family’s basic needs. But after participating in the program’s nutritional training, she started processing and selling soya kebabs, significantly increasing her income and improving her family’s standard of living. Rahama’s story, and the stories of countless other women, highlighted the importance of not only increasing agricultural production but also empowering women to become entrepreneurs and take control of their financial destinies.
As we approached the project’s conclusion, I was struck by the lasting impact GROW had made on these communities. The project’s work in advocating for women’s land tenure rights, a crucial step towards long-term sustainability, was particularly significant. Witnessing the dialogue between Chiefs, landowners, and GROW farmers was a powerful reminder of the importance of community engagement in driving social change. While the UN’s International Women’s Day theme “Time is Now” resonated deeply, I knew that the changes we were seeing were the result of seven years of dedicated work. GROW’s multi-faceted approach, focusing on skills training, gender sensitization, and community empowerment, had laid the groundwork for a brighter future for women in Northern Ghana.