Obaapa Development Foundation is an organisation in Ghana dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. It is a national champion that coordinates capacity building and facilitates programs for Traditional and Religious Leaders to ensure discriminatory systems, gender and social norms are addressed.
ODF focuses on advocacy and capacity building of traditional leaders to promote gender equality, end gender-based violence and harmful practices in their areas of jurisdiction. Specifically, ODF advocates on:
- Improving menstrual health and hygiene management among adolescent girls
- Addressing issues of Teenage Pregnancy
- Ending Child Marriage
- Ending FGM
- Promoting Essential Newborn Care
- Addressing issues of drug abuse
- Creating awareness on HIV/AIDS among the youth
- Improving Food & Nutrition
- Integrating emerging issues such as COVID-19 and climate crises into programmes.
ODF is very intentional in ensuring that the assets of women and girls are built to enable them to claim their autonomy, and this is done through trainings, advocacy and creating of an enabling environment.
All forms of Violence against women and girls are a grave abuse and hindrance to the enjoyment of their fundamental human rights. GBV affects all aspects of women’s life – their sovereignty, their productivity, and their capacity to take responsibility for themselves and their children, and subsequently their overall health status and quality of life. Investing in women, the youth and children sets a direct path for reduction if not eradication of gender inequality. ODF’s empowerment programs highlight the dangers of common practices that affect women’s growth as well as equip women and girls with the needed skills and knowledge to realize their rights and determine their life outcomes.
ODF and partners are committed to work to end all negative and harmful practices, stigmatization, enhance the quality of life of people and protect the vulnerable and ostracized in society against all forms of human rights abuses. Partners include:
Commonwealth Secretariat (UK), PATH, Ghana Health Services, Kyberly (USA), UNFPA, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MCRA), Paramount Chiefs, UNICEF, PLAN Ghana, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and the World Vision.
Currently, ODF is undertaking the following projects:
- Ending Child Marriage - One Paramountcy at a Time:
Traditional leaders in Ghana wield significant authority and influence within their communities. They are the custodians of culture and mediators of conflicts; they serve as pivotal intermediaries for development. They mobilize their subjects for development initiatives, inspire moral behavior, and contribute positively to public discourse. ODF capitalises on this to advance the Global Programme to End Child Marriage and with support from UNFPA, as well as working in collaboration the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MCRA), Regional Coordination Councils and to build the capacity of traditional leaders at paramountcy level. This resulted in 7 paramountcy declaring publicly to end child marriage in their areas of jurisdiction under the campaign “Commitment to Ending Child Marriage in Ghana, one paramountcy at a Time”. This transformative initiative, reached 5700 individuals, including paramount chiefs, kings, and queen mothers and religious leaders.
- Teenage Mothers Back to School
Teenage Mothers Back To School Project (TMBTSP), project currently, has enrolled 60 teenage mothers back to school in 6 Districts in Ashanti and Volta Regions in Ghana. It creates awareness on prevention of teenage pregnancy and advocates for those who are already mothers to go back to school. ODF engages parents, teachers and community members to ensure an enabling environment for adolescents to thrive.
- Unity Queen Mothers
The Unity Queens are a distinguished network of queen mothers in Ghana, operating under the auspices of the Obaapa Development Foundation (ODF). Established to empower women and girls, the Unity Queens serve as advocates and change agents within their communities, addressing critical issues such as child protection, adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights, and the eradication of harmful cultural practices.
Obaapa Development Foundation recognizes that gender inequality is the fundamental cause of poverty that significantly derails the development of women and children who are often at the receiving end of the scourge. And the most enduring way to fix this global challenge is to effectively educate, inspire, empower women and girls as well as continuously advocate for change in policies that impede their advancement.
Out of the desire to change this odious narrative by effective campaigning, capacity building and education, and having worked in the development space for several years (producing social documentaries, leading developmental projects/programs; advocating with and connecting Queenmothers to development partners etc), Nanahemaa Adjoa Awindor founded the Obaapa Development Foundation as the social responsibility wing of Premier Productions Ltd. in year 2010, and officially registered it as an NGO in 2013.
OUR VISION
To be one of the Best references for the Development of Women, The Youth and Children in Ghana
OUR MISSION
To use Advocacy, Programs and Projects aimed at Supporting the Development of Women, The Youth and Children in Ghana to enhance their lives through Education and Socio-Economic Empowerment based on Strong Moral TEACHING.
COMMITMENT
We commit to work to improve the quality of life of Women, Youth and Children In Ghana.
We endeavor to empower them with Progressive Moral Training, Information Sharing, Excellent Programs and Projects through Visionary Leadership and Strong Partnerships with Traditional Leaders, Development Partners and Governments, to build Sustainable, Strong and Dynamic Communities in Ghana and beyond. So help us, God!