About Us
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Introduction
Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with its main office in the capital of the Upper-East region, Bolgatanga. It is founded in 2002 and since then has delivered many successful projects. The vision of the foundation is creating self-reliant and self-sufficient youth in healthy communities. Its mission is to identify unfulfilled needs of young people and to develop, implement and fund breakthrough solutions that have a lasting impact.To achieve our vision Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana is working with a two-folded strategy. The first part of the strategy is engaging directly with young people to address their needs. Our longest running program is the adolescence, changes, choices and rights program (ACCR) which focuses on in-school youth as well as the apprenticeship-students. Within this project we aim to promote the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of young people by providing accurate information to them as well as supporting them in undertaking advocacy activities to stand up for their rights. (See Reproductive Health for more details on the program) Within our Securing Knowledge Into Lifelong Learning (SKILL) program we seek to provide opportunities for young people to build their personal skills and improve their career opportunities. (see Youth Skills for more details on the program)
The second part of the strategy focuses on working indirectly with parents in local communities to ensure that all children go to school. Known as the SUNUGA Eco-Fairtrade program, the strategy is to empower the parents economically through market led fair-trade farming and encourage them to support their children's education. (see Eco-Fairtrade for more details on the program)
Executive Team
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John Krugu Executive Director |
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David Ayine Acting Executive Director Finance Administration Officer |
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Abigail Adumolga Youth Centre Coordinator |
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Rockson Ayebilla Apiiga EPEFA Project Coordinator |
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Hillary Adongo Young Professionals Programme Coordinator |
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Linda Nyaamah Anaabah SPEEK Coordinator |
Board of Trustees
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Francis Ansah (Chair) Age: 34 Education: M.Sc. Educational Policy and Management Studies. Profession: Registrar Administration, Garden City University College, Kumasi. |
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Daud James Abang-gos Age: 54 Education: Diploma in Youth Development, Cert. in Social Mobilisation, Cert. Management. Profession: Regional Coordinator, National Youth Council, Bolga. |
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David B. Ali Age: 50 Education: Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) part I Holder; Cert. in Commonwealth Youth Development. Profession: Manager, National Investment Bank, Bolga Branch. |
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Otis Elijah Awuni Age: 30 Education: Certificate in Education. Profession: Student, University for Development Studies. |
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Mercy Kotogeweh Babaschuwe Age: 41 Education: M.ED in Educational administration and Management. Profession: Teacher |
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Priscilla Nyaaba Age: 25 Education: Diploma in Nursing, Registered General Nurse. Profession: Nurse, Regional Hospital, Bolga. |
History
Youth Programs
In 2002 the organization was founded by a group of friends who were not able to cope with the situation of the ignorance to the problems of the youth by the government. They founded the organization with their own money and were over the moon when they got funding for their first project in 2003. This project was called: "Awareness of HIV/AIDS and healthy sexual life" (2003-2005) - funded by the support group of the Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel - aimed for sexual education at six senior secondary schools in the Bolgatanga Municipality. In seminars, discussions, surveys and several other activities, the project contributed to an improved understanding of the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents.Although the funding stopped in 2005, YHFG continued working with these young people after it was shown that the students gained a lot of self-confidence in dealing with their sexuality but also their ability to speak up their mind. Within this framework, the Harvest clubs, were founded at all participating schools. In 2009, the organization has broadened their spectrum to reach even more students. Harvest clubs were formed in three Junior High Schools as well as an apprenticeship group. Since the start in 2003 we have been able to reach over 2000 students. The impressive dedication of the students showed the great need among the youth to deal with these sensitive issues and take control of their lives. YHFG now has even a member in the board who was a student in one of those harvest clubs.
To reach even a bigger audience, the organization started in 2008 with the production of a newsletter for young people. This newsletter is produced by a newsletter committee, of which the members are all students in the secondary high schools. The youth are actively participating in all decisions concerning the newsletter.
The year 2009 was another landmark in the history of the Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana. YHFG came one step closer to achieve its vision of self-reliant youth by building its youth center. This center is the core of all the youth work. It includes an internet cafe where young people can learn how to use a computer so that they can adapt more easily in professional life.
In this same year a partnership was developed with Junior Achievement Ghana. This organization has its mission to develop business skills in students. Second year Senior High School Students follow a program where they have to come up with a product and sell it. This program is also run from the Youth Center. The idea for the future is that the Youth Center will be run by the youth itself.
Eco-fairtrade program
In early 2006, peanut farmers from Zongoire, Bawku- West District, founded the EPEFA cooperative. In that same year the construction of production- and storage rooms was completed by the EPEFA farmers. 80 farmers took part in the first peanut planting season as a pilot phase.Since then, the farmers have been trained regularly in agronomic and ecological matters. Furthermore, an open debate culture and democratic ways in reaching decisions are actively promoted. Women are represented in the cooperative as well as in its bodies in large numbers and with equal rights. We now have 19 groups consisting of around 200 farmers.
As 2007 was a disastrous season, flooding decreased the harvest severely, we were happy that in 2008 we had a good harvest and found a partner to buy our groundnuts. In 2009 a microcredit scheme was started to help the farmers in the dry season when there are no farming activities. In the same year we got our groundnuts Bio-certified by ECOCERT.