REPORT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

GENERAL: The Information Services Department in Bawku in its quest to educate everybody within the Bawku Municipality on government programs and policies carried the message to the people including the hard to reach communities.

And after an impressive and very productive 14 days campaign, it came to light that a total of 3822 pregnant women have registered with the Bawku Mutual Health Insurance Scheme and are currently benefiting from the free maternal care policy graciously offered by the NPP government.

According to the IT officer of the scheme, Mr. Thompson Abagna, the women upon hearing the good news starting pouring in at the premises of the scheme like “wild fire” to register. He said, for barely a month now, the greater part of the scheme’ work is to quickly register the pregnant women and process their cards same day.

When the Municipal Director Health Services, Dr. Mensah Afful, was contacted, he confirmed it and said the policy has the capacity to reduce maternal deaths because the jinx and critical reasons that prevented some pregnant women to access medical care has been broken and any pregnant woman who fails to take advantage of this policy is simply an enemy to herself and her unborn child. He was however quick to add that if it is cultural and traditional reasons or barriers that prevented some pregnant women to attend antenatal care at the health centers than such women are likely not to take advantage of the policy but with continuous education they may change.

He advised families to plan their families properly and should not think that once there is a free policy they will indulge in multiple births because the policy is not a license to go and impregnate your wife(s)


Also significant, was the flood alert message to communities along the river banks in the Bawku Municipality. The message was timely because it afforded some farmers whose crops were due for harvest to quickly do so and users of the river equally distant themselves on the days the Bagre dam in neighboring Burkina Faso was opened.
These massages averted destruction of crops and lost of lives in the Bawku Municipality.

The impact made by the subsidy of fertilizer can not be over emphasized. At the moment farmers got the message, they rushed in large numbers to the offices of Ministry of Agric to collect their coupons. Many of the farmers we interviewed praised the government and were hopeful of a bumper harvest this year because they can now afford fertilizer for their crops.

On the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the people in the Municipality are happy to be selected along side few districts to pilot the program, so far 97 people have benefited from a cash transfer of GH¢2092. The beneficiaries were full of praise for the kind gesture of the NPP government. For those who did not benefit from the LEAP funds, though they were some how happy for the beneficiaries they did not minced words when they called on government to source for more funds to cover many needy people in the Municipality.

The school feeding program and how is being managed came under serious critic. The people we interviewed said they were not happy about the conduct of the food contractors /suppliers and some matrons. They have therefore called on government to set up mechanism which will monitor and supervise the program very well. Also, they advocated for the extension of the feeding program to cover many schools.

On peaceful elections; residences in Bawku have called on government to increase the numerical strength of the security and equally motivate them to deliver on purpose to ensure sustainable peace before, during and after the elections.

COMMUNITIES AND POPULATION COVERED; A total of 42 communities and popular spots with an estimated population of about 130,000 population were dutifully covered.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The campaign was highly successful. On some of the policies such as LEAP and school feeding program which are yet on pilot basis, efforts should be made to extend their coverage.

Finally, for the maximum impact of the policies that need the direct participation of people, the education campaign drive should continue, sustained and well resourced.





JAMES DORGBETOR
(Municipal Information Officer)