Gender Model Family is an approach to enhance gender equality in co-operatives and their families. The VOICE for Women and Girls program, supported by Global Affairs Canada, is currently in year four-of-a-seven-year commitment. In total, CDF Canada and its Malawi partner, the Malawi Federation of Cooperatives, reached over 75 co-operative members.
Volunteers from the VOICE for Women and Girls Program provide gender training and learn from participants. The Gender Model Family promotes inclusivity to create a more equitable society and create a safe and empowering space for participants to explore and discuss gender-related issues.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship project provided 243 small, practical tools to farmers. These included planters that helped with planting in neat rows and dibbling fertilizer evenly, solar knapsack sprayers that simplified spraying, and tarpaulins that protected grains from debris.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship project introduced to smallholder farmers practices that hold the power to revolutionize yields. The project, now in its fifth year, embarked on a journey of change across 130 communities in the Northern and Savannah regions of Ghana.
Resilient widow and mother of seven, Pobidan Naamo, is a member of the 4R co-operative and she witnessed the incredible advantages of 4R farming practices. Recently, she adopted them by planting her maize field in rows.
Volunteers have an important role in co-operative development through the VOICE for Women and Girls program. Barb Kuzyk is one of CDF Canada's volunteers who recently returned from Malawi, and she shares her experiences in how she assisted co-operatives with strategic planning.
While accessing water is a challenge for many communities in Ghana where women spend their entire day waiting to fetch water, the Tikpanjotub Co-operative sought to be the catalyst for change in their community. They used skills gained from the 4R Nutrient Stewardship project to successfully negotiate the construction of a reservoir.
The Karaga LA Junior High School faced deteriorating conditions, which created a chaotic learning environment for the children. That's when the Rural Commercial Women's Group, formed through the 4R Nutrient Stewardship project, stepped in and used their savings to replace the roof.
Bakamba is a remote farming community in the Kpandai District of Ghana. Two main tribes in the community were in conflict with one another for several decades. However, in 2020, a project called the "4R Nutrient Stewardship Project” arrived in the community to improve the socio-economic well-being of smallholder farmers.