Management of community fields

The project aimed to avoid child emigration by increasing the economic capacities of families in three rural villages in Ghana (two in the north, one in the south) through the development of income-generating activities. The project supported the development of community fields for food crop production, provided training in market analysis, and supplied the farming equipment and tools needed to reinforce production capacities.

Sixty small holder farmers and their families benefitted directly from harvests and income from the communal fields. In each of the three villages, a women’s management committee played an instrumental role in the management of harvest yields and revenues. The new agro-ecological methods introduced enabled a significant increase in the quantity and bio-diversity of produce. Over 300 children, exceeding the initial expectation of 120 children, benefitted from improved nutrition and their parents were able to pay for their schooling. At the end of the project, parents had the resources for their children’s immediate needs, reducing the migration from rural to urban areas of young children attending school.

The Swiss Foundation of the International Social Service (SFISS) is a network of social workers and lawyers globally active in favour of children and young people in vulnerable situations. On the ground, SFISS works with Recfam (Research & Counseling - Foundation for African Migrants), which specialises in community development and the fight against human trafficking.