NORSAAC currently runs programmes in two broad areas namely, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Women’s Rights and Governance with livelihood and skill training as a cross-cutting issue. Various evidence-based strategies are employed in programming mainly including advocacy, partnership and collaboration, coalition building and networking, research and BCC. Rights-based approach forms the basis of programming in NORSAAC. These strategies are used to achieve the dual objectives of increasing coverage and impact of programme interventions.
PROJECTS UNDER WOMEN RIGHTS AND GOVERNANCE
- Women’s Participation in leadership and Decision making Project.
- Women’s Right Advocates Project
- The Magazias Project
- Young Female Parliament Project
- NORWAACG
Women Participation in Leadership and Decision Making Processes
The organization works to ensure that women representation in decision making both locally and regionally is improved tremendously. The project was launched in 2006 and contributed greatly during the 2006 district level elections in increasing the number of women in the 10 operational districts of the organisation.
In other to have quality representation of women, several strategies were developed to ensure that women had a total build up of knowledge and skills to represent people in leadership places qualitatively. The project was put in to three phases;
- Identify and target potential and interested women and build their capacities in a diversified manner to make them fit for a representation.
- Target community level education to facilitate a change of perception about women leaders and engaged community stakeholders to facilitate a change of cultural practices which were hindering women’s participation in governance
- Target regional political leaders, civil and public servants in districts and the region to acknowledge the gap and facilitate women representation in their districts and the region as a whole. This was also aimed at building a force of NGOS and CBOS to support the process.
Women’s Right Advocates Project
The Women’s Rights Advocates Project which is funded by Africa Women’s Development Fund is implemented in six communities in Tamale Metropolis and Tolon/Kumbungu District. The project is aimed at promoting the fundamental human rights of women in the implementing communities using community members as advocates. Five Women’s right advocates 3 female and 2 men are trained in each of the communities on the fundamental human rights of women, reporting violence cases and managing rights abuses in communities. In all, the organization trained 30 women rights advocates from 2 districts in 6 communities to serve as women advocates in their communities.
Most women in the communities are now aware and are demanding their rights. Traditional and religious leaders are key allies of the project in the communities.
The Magazia Project
This project is implemented in 36 communities in urban and peri-urban communities in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern region. The project is aimed among other things at strengthening the capacities of community women leaders popularly called Magazias to effectively participate in decision making processes at the community level and also lead community level campaigns against violence on women and girls.
The project which is being funded by Action Aid Ghana has mobilised 36 magazias who have now formed an association of magazias. The 36 magazias have each formed a community level association of magazias made up of all organized groups’ magazias in the 36 communities.
Currently, an average of 210 magazias including the primary target group of 36 are benefiting from the project.
Young Female Parliament Project
The Young Female Parliament (YFP) developed and adopted by Action Aid Ghana (AAG) and NORSAAC to address a broader challenge of low participation of women and girls in leadership and decision making. It serves as a platform for young girls in the Northern Region to deliberate on various developmental and governance issues particularly those affecting the growth, education and development of young girls and women in general.
This is to enable them appreciate the issues, conduct advocacy, proffer solutions and get their voices and opinions across to officialdom. The YFP also seeks to serve as a launch pad for young girls with qualities, skills and ambitions to assume leadership positions to build their confidence and knowledge.
The Parliament has 40 member parliamentarians constituted by representatives of young female from Senior High Schools in AAG Development Areas (DA), 15 districts (out of the 20 Districts in the Northern Region) and of all tertiary institutions in the Northern Region.
The parliament also has a well defined leadership structure, standing orders and constitution defining the structure of parliament, roles and responsibilities of key members, leadership and requirements for membership and affiliation as well as an outlined schedule for sittings/proceedings. The leadership is made up of the a Speaker, 2 Deputy Speakers, Majority Leader and Chief Whip, Minority Leader and Chief Whip, Parliamentary Administrator and 3 Clerks of Parliament.
Northern Region Assembly Women Caucus on Good Governance (NORWACGG)
The Northern Region Assembly Women’s Caucus on Good Governance (NORWACGG) is a caucus of assembly women in the Region. The process was facilitated by NORSAAC after the 2006 district assembly election to ensure that both appointed and elected assemble women in the implementing districts were brought together to form a body which will facilitate and spearhead the activities of women in the various districts, ensure accountability of community activities and identify priority areas and also to develop common plans among others.
It has a membership of 80 out of which 21 are elected from the 10 districts of north western part of Northern region since 2006 where the project has been implemented for the past years. Interestingly it also has a seven 7 member executive committee who stir the affairs of the caucus.
The caucus was later decentralized in the various implementing districts with a three member executives who serves as an advocacy group at that level to ensure that challenges of women in their respective districts and communities are effectively addressed so that issues that needs Regional level intervention will be channeled to the Regional caucus for necessary redress.