Partners: Beyond Beans
Period: 2025 –
Country of operation: Ghana
Category: Child Protection and Welfare; Financial Inclusion (VSLAs)
Project Snapshot:
My Life, My Right is a project being implemented by Right To Play (RTP) and Participatory Development Associates (PDA) in selected cocoa communities in the Ashanti and Ahafo regions, in partnership with Barry Callebaut (Nyonkopa Cocoa). The project focuses on improving the quality of education and child protection, and will take place in 50 communities, targeting 17,000 children, 10000 parents, 400 teachers, and 40 GES officials in 7 districts across the Ashanti, Ahafo, and Western North regions.
Project Objectives:
The main objectives of the project include:
- Improve the quality of basic education in selected cocoa-growing communities.
- Strengthen child protection structures through the training of Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs).
- Promote awareness of child rights, child labour, safeguarding, and protection mechanisms at the community level.
- Foster financial inclusion and economic resilience among caregivers through the establishment of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs).
- Build entrepreneurial and business capacities among VSLA members using GALS (Gender Action Learning System), Farmer Business School, and Business Incubation models.
PDA’s Task:
PDAs’ main activity on the project is to form 40 VSLA groups and train them on GALS, Farmer Business school, and Business incubation.
How We Are Going About It
PDA has partnered with Right to Play to strengthen community-based child protection systems and promote sustainable livelihoods. As part of this collaboration, PDA supported the training of Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs) on child rights, child labour, child protection, financial literacy, safeguarding, and the development of action plans to guide their work.
Community entry and sensitization activities have been completed, and Field Officers have begun forming Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).
In the first year, 30 new VSLA groups have been formed, alongside 10 existing groups, all integrating Gender Action Learning System (GALS) components. Monitoring and support for these groups is ongoing.
The second year of the project will focus on Farmer Business School training, equipping beneficiaries with practical business and farming skills to further strengthen household resilience.
