GrowYourDream

A powerful new movement for mental health is taking shape in Ghana’s Adaklu District. Earlier this month, the Grow Your Dream Foundation Ghana (GYDF), in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), convened a one-day training workshop that brought together teachers, students, traditional leaders, and community representatives. The event is part of a new Mental Health Awareness Creation Project, funded by Germany’s Schmitz Stiftungen and Health Information Technologies for Africa (HITA). The project is set to become a milestone in the district’s efforts to break the silence around mental health.

The workshop, attended by participants from ten communities and three senior high schools (EPC Mawuko Girls’, Adaklu Senior High, and Gbekor Senior High) aimed to build local capacity to identify, support, and refer individuals struggling with mental health challenges. Using lively discussions, role plays, and real-life examples, facilitators from the GHS—Adaklu District (District Mental Health Officers Mr. Nukafo Jones and Eric Tsetse Worlanyo) helped participants unpack myths surrounding mental illness and explore practical strategies for promoting well-being.

“Our goal is not only to raise awareness but to build a culture of care and support,” said Mr. Gaba Linus Deladem of GYDF, explaining the project’s dual focus on school-based and community-based interventions. “By empowering people where they live and learn, we are creating lasting change.”

Counselors from participating schools, including Mr. Tagbor Wisdom of EPC Mawuko Girls’ and Mr. Kwame Redeemer Kekeli of Adaklu Senior High, pledged to integrate mental health education into school life and train peer supporters to help students cope with stress, anxiety, and social pressures. At the community level, leaders such as Rev. Fia Daniel of Adaklu Amuzudeve called on chiefs and elders to use traditional platforms like durbars and churches to challenge stigma and encourage open discussion.

The project also placed special emphasis on gender and mental health, highlighting how social pressures and gender-based violence often deepen women’s psychological distress. “When women’s mental health is neglected, their empowerment is undermined,” noted Mr. Ahiave Jacob, Executive Director of GYDF. “Promoting mental health is therefore a step toward gender equality.”

By the end of the day, participants had not only deepened their understanding of mental health but also pledged to become Mental Health Ambassadors for their area of responsibility, i.e., school or community. The training concluded with a renewed sense of purpose: that caring for mental well-being is not just a medical issue, but a shared community responsibility—essential to the health, dignity, and progress of all.

We’re excited to announce that our new mental health and well-being project in Adaklu District is officially underway. This month, our team is beginning community entry visits—meeting chiefs and elders across our 10 pilot communities—to introduce the project and co-plan first activities. In parallel, we’re meeting with leadership and counsellors at partner secondary schools to align on roles, schedule teacher sessions, and appoint a School Mental Health Ambassador in each school. Our staff have also started the WHO QualityRights online training to ground everything we do in human rights–based, recovery-oriented practice.

Our goal is simple and practical: reduce stigma, strengthen mental-health literacy, and make it easier for people—especially young people—to get help early. We’ll train one Mental Health Ambassador in each community and one in each school, equip them with easy-to-use materials (handouts, posters, and short Ewe-language infographics/videos), and blend in-person sessions with WhatsApp groups to keep momentum between meetings. Working closely with the Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service, we’ll map clear referral pathways so concerns can be identified and supported quickly. We’ll also track progress with attitudes and literacy tools over the year, and package what works into open resources that others can reuse.

Thank you to our community leaders, teachers, health partners, and youth champions. Follow us here for regular updates as activities roll out across Adaklu and Ho.

Today, on June 15th, 2025, we celebrate Father’s Day, a day to honour the men who have made a positive impact in the lives of their families and communities. As we commemorate this special day, Grow Your Dream Foundation Ghana would like to take a moment to reflect on the importance of men’s roles in promoting gender equality.

“Regenerating Discussions on Patriarchy” — As we celebrate fatherhood, we also recognise that patriarchy has been a significant obstacle to achieving gender equality. The biases and stereotypes that women face every day are often perpetuated by societal norms and expectations that are deeply ingrained in our communities. As men, it is essential that we take a step back and reflect on our own biases and behaviours. We must recognise that our actions, or lack thereof, can either perpetuate or challenge these biases. It is time for us to have open and honest discussions about the effects of patriarchy on women and girls.

A Call to Action — As we celebrate Father’s Day, we call on all men to join us in this critical conversation. Let us work together to: Challenge our own biases and stereotypes; Listen to and amplify the voices of women and girls; Support policies and initiatives that promote gender equality; Model positive behaviours and attitudes that promote respect and empathy.

Together, We Can Create Change – At Grow Your Dream Foundation Ghana, we believe that men have a critical role to play in promoting gender equality. We are committed to working with men and women to create a society that values and respects the contributions of all individuals. On this Father’s Day, we urge all men to take a pledge to be part of the solution. Let us work together to create a brighter future for everyone.

Happy Father’s Day!

Sincerely,

Mr. Ahiave Sedemo
Executive Director
Grow Your Dream Foundation Ghana

Ein Aufruf zur Hilfe: Eine beispiellose Flutkatastrophe hat Tausende in Ghanas Volta-Region in Not gebracht. Jetzt benötigen sie dringend unsere Unterstützung.

Die Katastrophe: Anhaltende, ungewöhnlich hohe Niederschläge – ein Zeichen des globalen Klimawandels – haben die Wasserstände im Akosombo-Staudamm gefährlich erhöht (siehe den Beitrag der Deutschen Welle hier). Um einen Bruch der Staudämme zu verhindern, haben die Behörden eine kontrollierte Freisetzung von Wasser aus dem Akosombo- und Kpong-Damm vorgenommen, die zu verheerenden Überschwemmungen in der Volta-Region, dem Hauptstandort der GROW YOUR DREAM FOUNDATION, geführt hat. Bis zum 19. Oktober 2023 verloren bereits 31.000 Menschen ihre Unterkunft. Und die Gefahr ist noch nicht gebannt, denn die Regensaison ist noch nicht beendet.

Die Folgen: Viele Menschen sind obdachlos oder leben in provisorischen Unterkünften. Das Risiko von Malaria steigt dramatisch an, vor allem für Kinder und schwangere Frauen. Malaria ist eine der Hauptursachen für schwere, chronische Erkrankungen und vorzeitige Todesfälle in Ghana, und jetzt ist das Risiko größer denn je, da die Bedingungen für die Vermehrung von Stechmücken optimal sind und die Bevölkerung geschwächt ist; dies gilt insbesondere für Kinder und schwangere Frauen. Zwar sorgt die Regierung für das Allernötigste, aber an wirksamen Schutz gegen Malaria fehlt es.

Unsere Mission: Als GROW YOUR DREAM FOUNDATION wollen wir gezielt helfen. Unser Ziel ist es, Kinder und schwangere Frauen mit behandelten Moskitonetzen zu versorgen, um sie vor Malaria zu schützen. Für 1.000 Euro können wir 180 Betroffenen helfen. Jede Spende zählt. Unsere Mitarbeitenden sind vor Ort und werden die gespendeten Moskitonetze den hilfsbedürftigen Familien persönlich übergeben.

Jetzt handeln: Ihre Spende rettet Leben. Bitte helfen Sie uns, die von der Überflutung betroffenen Bevölkerung dabei zu unterstützen, schwere Erkrankungen zu vermeiden. Überweisen Sie Ihre Spende an das unten angegebene Konto, oder kontaktieren Sie uns direkt (karsten.gareis@hita-ev.org). Jeder Beitrag macht einen Unterschied.

Ihr Beitrag wird dokumentiert: Wir garantieren Transparenz. Unsere Aktionen werden mit Fotos dokumentiert, und jeder Empfänger bestätigt den Erhalt persönlich.

Teilen Sie unsere Mission: Helfen Sie uns, das Bewusstsein zu schärfen, indem Sie diese Nachricht teilen. Gemeinsam können wir einen Unterschied machen.

Wir danken Ihnen von Herzen für Ihre Unterstützung und Solidarität.

Diese Kampagne wird ermöglicht durch unsere Zusammenarbeit mit HITA, einer deutschen NGO, die sich für Innovationen im Gesundheitswesen in Ghana einsetzt. Bitte tätigen Sie Ihre Spende per Überweisung an:

Name des Empfängers: HITA e.V.

IBAN: DE86 6907 0024 0050 6006 00

BIC: DEUTDEDB690

Betreff: Akosombo Flood

The ongoing flooding of parts of Volta Region (the part of Ghana in which we, the GROW YOUR DREAM FOUNDATION, operate) has resulted in a major crisis affecting thousands of predominantly poor Ghanaian families. Due to atypically high levels of rainfall in recent months, which scientists say are related to global climate change, the water levels in the Akosombo Dam had by mid September 2023 risen beyond the maximum operation capacity. The flooding was not a result of a dam break, but of a controlled spillage of the Akosombo Dam and the Kpong Dam by the Volta River Authority to avoid dam failure. Nevertheless, the effect has been devastating: by 19 October 2023, 31,000 people have already lost their homes. Moreover, water levels have not yet receded, which means the number of households affected could rise further before the dry season sets it. Many people are without any place to live, while others are housed in hastily erected, makeshift shelters. Others have found refuge in the homes of relatives, further exacerbating living conditions which had already been poor before.

While the national government provides the bare essentials to prevent any of the relocated individuals from starving, and no casualties have been reported, there is a more longer term danger resulting from the flooding, which is insufficiently addressed so far: The resettled families are exposed to a heightened risk of catching malaria due to the stagnant water (resulting in increased mosquito activity), their physical exhaustion and the fact that they have lost the protection they had (mosquito nets, repellents) in the flood. Malaria is a major cause of mortality and ill-health in Ghana, with an estimated 12,500 deaths caused per year. Although Ghana’s entire population is at risk of malaria infection, children under five years of age and pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness due to lowered immunity.

It is for this reason that we, the GROW YOUR DREAM FOUNDATION, propose a targeted intervention to supply children and pregnant women affected from the flood with treated mosquito nets. The nets will be sourced from a local supplier; as it is established best practice, nets are pretreated with an appropriate insecticide / insect repellent.

For each €1,000 of donations, we can supply 180 children and pregnant women with bed nets that provide effective protection against mosquitoes for a duration of about three years. Included in the sum are the costs of transport. GROW YOUR DREAM FOUNDATION staff will distribute the nets personally and provide guidance in their use if appropriate. The activity will be meticulously documented using geotagged photos and signatures of beneficiaries (head of household).

This campaign is made possible through our co-operation with HITA, a German NGO working for innovations in health care in Ghana and beyond. Please make your donation by money transfer to:

Name of the Organisation: HITA e.V.

IBAN: DE86 6907 0024 0050 6006 00

BIC: DEUTDEDB690

Subject/Betreff: Akosombo Flood

Watch the report on Deutsche Welle News here.

Last week we welcomed Thomas and Daniel from Health Care IT for Africa e.V. (HITA), a German NGO which is running a number of projects for improving health care education and provision in rural parts of Ghana. The HITA team was visiting the Ho District and other parts of the country for monitoring progress on HITA founded projects and discussing the way ahead with local stakeholders. In Adaklu, their particular interest was in witnessing the results from 2021’s one-year Digital Community Engagement Project, which had been funded by HITA together with a German donor organisation, the Schmitz Stiftungen (from funds provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development).

Thomas and Daniel with the GYDF team visited Adaklu Kordiabe community, for which they needed to climb up Mount Adaklu by foot since the condition of the single road into the village does not allow travel by car.

Once there, they interacted with the community’s inhabitants and chiefs to ascertain how positively the project has impacted on their lives. It was fun and very interactive as the team was received with good gesture by the community. Community members demonstrated to the visitors how a greater emphasis on gender equality in day-to-day life has improved the well-being of both women and men, as well as the children. They promised to keep working on overcoming any barriers to women’s full participation in communal live and in addressing challenges related to sexual and reproductive health – a particular problem in Adaklu, which suffers from above-average rates of teenage pregnancies and high maternal and new-born mortality.

The HITA team then went on to visit to two health care facilities in Adaklu District that had benefited earlier from the donation of hospital equipment. These facilities are the Adaklu Waya EP Clinic in Waya and the Hasu Community Clinic at Helepke. Thomas and Daniel checked on whether the equipment donated to these facilities was held in good shape and asked for their routine maintenance in order to get full the benefit of them. The items donated included hospital beds, wheelchairs, cabinets as well as computer infrastructure.

Th teams of HITA and GYDF used the opportunity of the visit to discuss and agree on future joint activities, including a feasibility study for a project to provide ICT skills to underprivileged adolescent girls in the communities of Adaklu with a view to enable them to act as access points to health information which is available online. We will report about this exciting new project in a separate post.

We are looking back with pride at 2022, which was a very vibrant period for our work in rural villages across Adaklu and beyond. The Grow Your Dream Foundation as an organization has monitored and provided support to life-changing and community development programmes in a large number of project communities in Adaklu District. These activities have followed on from 2021’s successful project co-funded by German charity Schmitz Stiftungen (from funds provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), and GYDF partner HITA, an NGO based in Germany.

In 2022, Mental Health was added to Gender Equality as core prioritised areas which the organization is focusing on in their practical work. For 2023, we are planning a second project under Germany’s “Kleinprojektefonds” programme, with a strong emphasis on how to address challenges to mental health in rural communities across Adaklu and adjoining Districts.

The period provides an avenue for recognition and special acknowledgement of our loyal partners and donors whose contributions have been vital in enabling us to reach out to our target populations:

HITA – GERMANY; SCHMITZ STIFTUNGEN, GERMANY; GHANA HEALTH SERVICE, ADAKLU DISTRICT; DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE ADAKLU DISTRICT; MINISTRY OF GENDER, VOLTA REGION AND OUR PROJECT COMMUNITIES.

 2022 has provided us with the opportunity to carry out a systemic evaluation of our services cross our various programmes. These evaluations have consisted of interviews, open group discussions, quizzes and assessment carried out on modules developed to aid community meetings.

DONATION TO CHILDREN WARD, VOLTA REGIONAL HOSPITAL 2022

To make 2022 Christmas a memorial one and to deliver on our mandate as an organization, Grow Your Dream Foundation with support from HITA, Germany, made a donation to the CHILDREN WARD of VOLTA REGIONAL HOSPITAL. The donation came in the form of some assorted items handed out to needy children who had been admitted to this hospital before Christmas. The executive secretary of the GYDF, Mr Ahiave Jacob, presented the donation on the behalf of the organization and our partners. He advised the ward in-charge to take very good care of the children who are unlucky enough to have to spend Christmas in the hospital, respect their rights and never to belittle them.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AT DORKPO/KPETSU – ADAKLU

We also celebrated Christmas with the children of Dokpor/Kpetsu, one of our project communities in the Adaklu District. This  event formed part of our annual programme in Adaklu District, operated by GYDF and supported by our partner HITA. The programme provided opportunity and space to celebrate the event jointly with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, to inspire their confidence in a good future for all. In the event the attending children shared with the gathering what they have been learning in their  Adolescent Group meetings, one of the programmes run by GYDF in various communities of Adaklu. They engaged in roleplay, recited poems and sang Christmas season songs. Dorkpo was selected because of the severe development challenges faced by this community of the Adaklu District. The village is affected its peripheral location and the poor connection to the road network, lack of portable water and insufficient equipment with other social amenities. Also present at the event, which quickly developed into a merry party with lots of fun all around, were Club Leaders of the Adolescent Clubs as well as many of the childrens’ parents.

MindFreedom Ghana in collaboration with other NGOs and the media organised a range of in-country consultations in the context of a national dialogues aiming to promote the human rights conditions of persons with psychosocial disabilities. A key outcome is the Shadow Report on the Universal Peer Review (UPR) process to the UN Human Rights Council. The UPR process presents a means to regularly monitor, assess and report on Ghana’s human rights performance generally, and specifically on mental health and psychosocial disabilities with a view to develop recommendations to address any identified gaps.

Grow Your Dream Foundation (GYDF) joined the public event for launching the report, which took place in Accra on 14 July, 2022. The event was organised by MindFreedom Ghana, an NGO established 18 years ago with the vision to improve the mental health and minds of persons with mental disability in Ghana and to promote their human rights and dignity. GYDF and the MindFreedom Ghana team lead by Executive Director Mr Dan Taylor have been discussing actions for addressing the mental health treatment gap in the Volta Region since 2021. Joint activities are currently under preparation.

Speakers at the event included Prof Akwesi Osei, CEO of the Mental Health Authority; Mr Clement Kadogbe, Representative from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); Dr Sofonias Astrat, Representative of the UN Resident Coordinator; and Madam Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the National Council for Persons with Disability (NCPD). Also present were participants from all of Ghana’s 16 Regions, Development Partners, Government Agencies, Civil society organisations, and the media.

GYDF Director Jacob Ahiave with MindFreedom Ghana Executive Director, Mr Dan Taylor

GYDF Director Jacob Ahiave with Dr Eugene K Dordoye, MindFreedom Ghana Board Member and Mental Health Consultant

On occasion of the International Father’s Day on June 19th the Grow Your Dream Foundation, an Adaklu-based NGO working on gender equality and community development, reminds the public of men’s vital role in achieving gender equality to the benefit of all, both women and men.

More than 25 years since the landmark World Conference on Women in Beijing and the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, the world is further from achieving gender equality that it can afford. Global data tracking progress on sustainable Development Goal 5 show us that little more than one in two women report abuses perpetrated against them. Even fewer report that they are able to take their own decisions about sexual and reproductive health and rights. Only one in four women feel able to say “no” to sex, an essential dimension of bodily autonomy. What is more, across the globe women perform three to ten times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men.

As we celebrate this year’s Father’s Day, GYDF reiterates the call for a just world of equal opportunities.

GYDF team working with Daddy’s Club leaders from Adaklu on action for gender equality

On November 24th and 25th, the team of GrowYourDream Fundation (GYDF) conducted a two-day refresher training in Adaklu for the leaders of 20 community groups established in the context of a one-year project funded from sources of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and HITA, a German NGO operating in the Volta Region. The focus of the community groups is on empowering women to take a stronger role in decision-making in their families and communities, on encouraging men to reflect on the negative impacts of rigid gender roles and how these can be overcome, and on educating adolescents and their parents in matters of sexual and reproductive health.

Recent months have seen a large number of group meetings in each of the communities, plus meetings of the Project Group and consultative meetings of the GYDF team with key stakeholders in health and community development. The purpose of the refresher training was now to review the progress made, collect feedback from the group leaders and discuss individual experiences, with a view at ensuring that the achievements will be sustained and build upon after the end of the project duration, i.e. end of 2021.

The training was opened with a short prayer from Mr. Fiah Daniel, a Daddies Club leader from Amudezudeve. This was followed by an opening speech given by Madam Antoinette, the public health nurse at Adaklu District Health Directorate. Madam Antoinette called upon the participants to continue their valuable training activities in their communities in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. She stressed that GYDF’s activities compliment Ghana Health Service’s outreach activities across the Adaklu District very well, particularly with respect to communities that are remote and hard to reach through the road network. Madam Antoinette underscored the need for women empowerment as a means to achieve social development and improvement of health outcomes for all Ghanaians. She added that women empowerment activities must involve not only women but also men to achieve the intended results. In a final remark, Madam Antoinette asked the participants to lead the crusade in their communities to help fight the spread of Covid-19, which must not be allowed to endanger the progress made in term of health, social and economic growth across the globe, but especially in the developing world. Madam Antoinette concluded by calling on GYFD to extend its community engagement programme to other communities across the District.

GYDF Director Mr. Ahiave Jacob then summarised the project experience so far. He stressed how impressed and satisfied he is with the level of commitment and enthusiasm shown by all 10 communities for the project’s goals and activities. He reiterated the need to build good relationship with the key actors in the domains of health, women empowerment and community development in order to tap into their expertise and experience for supporting social development across Adaklu. A special emphasis during the discussions was placed on the topic of mental health, an area which the GYDF team wants to focus on in future activities in collaboration with the 10 communities. Representatives from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Department of Social Welfare, Adaklu District attended the refresher training and contributed their expertise on the relevance for mental health for social development. They explained that a wealth of scientific evidence suggests that mental health is very important determinant of quality of life, and it plays a key role in ensuring people’s general health and wellbeing. The GHS, the Department of Social Welfare and GYDF therefore see a great need for proper and sound education on the core dimensions of mental health and how it can be supported at individual, family and community level.

A key element of this year’s project is the attempt to make use of digital tools and online social networks for supporting the community engagement activities. The aim is to let all group leaders become part of a so-called ‘community of interest’ (in the form e.g. of a WhatsApp group) which allows them to network with each other, exchange experiences, suggestions, practical hints, photos, etc. The channel should also be used for the GYDF team to distribute multimedia content such as audio and video clips, infographics, etc., to support the group leaders in their activities. To partcipate, group leaders need access to a personal smartphone. Fortunately, the network of mobile provider Vodafone covers most of Adaklu, and charges for sending Whatsapp messages and other data are modest. An earlier investigation had shown, however, that most group leaders do not own a smartphone yet. To be able to kick-start the digital networking activities nevertheless, HITA agreed to provide additional funding for 20 inexpensive smartphones, which were then procured by GYDF from a retailer in Accra.

At the workshop, each group leader was presented with a smartphone, on which Whatsapp and Facebook had been installed by GYDF beforehand. SIM cards were handed out and registered by a Vodafone representative who had been asked to attend. Some mobile credit, funded from the project budget, was provided as well. The GYDF team then gave an introduction into how to use the device and, in particular, the Whatsapp application. A Whatsapp group was set up on the spot through which communication with the full group will take place in the future. The workshop organisers made sure that before the end of the event, each participant fully understood how to operate the smartphone and take part in the discussion via Whatsapp.

The GYDF team thank all workshop participants for their dedication and enthusiasm for the project. Group leaders will be contacted through the Whatsapp Group to organise the final activities in 2021. A meeting has already been arranged with four group leaders who were not able to attend the workshop, at which they will discuss the project experience and be equipped with smartphones as well.