Support Rural Women Start & Grow Green Businesses

Monitoring Visit Report and Community Leaders Engagement at Boanim and Dawu Tabre Communities

On the 16th and 17th of April 2024, a monitoring visit was conducted to assess the progress and impact of past beneficiaries of our entrepreneurship program in the rural community, as well as to engage with the community leaders  to introduce the project to them and win their interest  and support in executing the next cohort in their community. The visit aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in supporting women-led businesses, identify their challenges and progress how far after the support items were provided and to gather feedback from community leaders regarding their acceptance of the project in their communities.

Community Leaders Engagement (16th April, 2024):

The purpose and objectives of the entrepreneurship program were presented to the community leaders, highlighting the importance of their support and collaboration in empowering unemployed women in their communities.

Community leaders provided valuable feedback on the program's implementation and their acceptance of collaboration by availing venues  to conduct the training sessions as well as other meetings.They also accepted the aspect of supporting the execution of the project by announcing to the community members for the recruitment process.

Monitoring Visit (17th April, 2024):

Visits were made to the businesses of past beneficiaries to assess their progress since receiving support from the program. Key indicators such as business growth, income generation, and sustainability were evaluated

Success stories of beneficiaries were documented, highlighting the transformative impact of the program on their lives and businesses.The highest success stories came from those in the production of snails. 

Meet a dedicated trainee under the snail farming group, she has set up a  snail production farm with a capacity ranging from 100 to 400 snails. She is hoping to generate about GHS200 to GHS500 in a month. She joyfully commented that she now has a job that can support her in paying her children’s school fees as well as daily upkeep. Due her commitment and the rewarding nature of the business, her brother and her children now have set up their own farms. 

Another dedicated trainee of the cohort 2 of the project, has constructed a much bigger structure(farm house) about 5mx1mx5m in volume to accommodate about 1000 snails. However she is yet to stock it with snails.

Our black soap making group has been thriving, with several members achieving notable successes. One of our group members has successfully produced three batches of black soap, demonstrating their mastery of the craft. Another member has not only completed but also sold two batches of black soap, showcasing their enterpreneurial spirit and ability to turn their skills into a profitable venture.

Recruitment Report for Hard Skill Training in Black Soap Making and Snail Farming

Recruitment exercise was conducted on 30th June 2024, in the Boanim, Taabre and Dawu communities for the upcoming cohort 3 of the Community Green Economy project. 

The exercise involved  female applicants filling out hard copy forms to express their interest and eligibility. The objective was to identify suitable candidates who would benefit from the training and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.

Through this exercise, 78 applications were received and after a series of reviews, 20 applicants were selected under the hard skill training modules; black soap and snail farming.

Commencement of Cohort 3

Report on Introductory Meeting, 

This report details the proceedings and outcomes of the introductory meeting held on 3rd June 2024, followed by the black soap making training from 4th to 7th June 2024, and the snail farming training from 10th to 12th June 2024. These initiatives were designed to equip Community Green Economy Project (CGEP) Cohort 3 beneficiaries with practical skills in soap making and snail farming, contributing to their economic empowerment and sustainable livelihood development.

The introductory meeting organised in Taabre community was attended by 23 participants. The session began with a welcome address,an introduction of the RUG team and the participants. The importance of skill acquisition and the reason for selection of such type of training were highlighted. The Hub Manager provided an overview of RUG programs as well as the objectives and expected outcomes of the Community Green Economy Project. He also highlighted the schedules and the date for each training session in CGEP cohort 3, followed with an encouragement statement from the community leader. Participants were then introduced to the trainers who would be handling the training sessions. The meeting concluded with a Q&A session, where participants' queries were addressed, ensuring clarity and alignment of expectations.

Soap Making Production and Added Value

Summary:

The soap making training was a two-day intensive program attended by 18 participants. The training covered the following key areas:

Day 1: 

• Introduction to the basics of soap making.
• detailed explanation of raw materials and equipment required for soap making. 
• Safety precautions including protective clothings and gear.

Day 2:

•  Processing of raw black soap into added value products like shampoo, shower gel and bar soap etc 
•  Packaging of finished products
• Tasked to sell black soap products to secure capital for next production 

Participants expressed high levels of satisfaction with the practical aspects of the training, noting significant improvement in their confidence to produce and market their soap products.

Snail Farming Training

The snail farming training spanned three days and was attended by 8 participants. The training included:

Day 1:

• Introduction to snail farming, covering its benefits
• Types of snails, their characteristics and differences between the types 
• Selection of appropriate snail species for farming.
• Types of housing for snail production
• Choosing a conducive site 
• Construction of structure 

Day 2: 

• Continued with construction of structure
• Types of breed suitable and yield maximum revenue
• Detailed sessions of feeding practices
• Health management to ensure the growth and productivity of snails.

 Day 3:

• Disinfecting of soil and dry leaves for snail production
• Techniques for harvesting
• Processing and Packaging of Snails 
• Marketing strategies.

The training was well-received, with participants gaining valuable insights of snail farming and its potential as a profitable venture.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Soft Skill Training for Cohort 3 Beneficiaries - The soft skills training seeks to equip the beneficiaries with skills in financial management, bookkeeping, entrepreneurial spirit and marketing. This product will be executed in the third quarter  of 2024 between 15th of July to 23rd of July.

• Monitoring & Evaluation Visit - Monitoring visit will be conducted by the team to verify if skills given to beneficiaries are implemented and to also measure their process in their startups. 

• Cohort 3 -Support Allocation & Delivery - After an effective monitoring and evaluation, beneficiaries who have started their business with skills acquired will be given support taking  into consideration their needs to progress in their businesses. 

• Entrepreneurship Talk Series - The program seeks to connect entrepreneurs or beneficiaries with like minded entrepreneurs to address their challenges and instil some entrepreneurial spirit in them to keep on thriving in their business.

Links:

• LinkedIn