BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE SHAI-OSUDOKU DISTRICT IN GHANA
The Shai-Osudoku District is situated in the southeastern part of Ghana in the Greater Accra Region. The district can be located between latitudes 5045’ and 6005’degrees north and longitude 0005’E and 0020’W.
CURRENT FOCUS OF THE WIDOWS MINISTRY
The Shai-Osudoku District was carved out of the former Dangme West District on 15th March 2012 as a result of a re-demarcation exercise undertaken in the context of decentralization reforms in the country. The District shares boundaries with North Tongu District to the North-East, Yilo Krobo Municipality, and Upper Manya District to the North-West, Akwapim North Municipality to the West, Kpone Katamanso Municipality to the South-West, Ningo-Prampram District to the South, and Ada West District to the East.
The District
The district has Dodowa as its administrative capital. A 22km stretch of the Volta River washes the North-Eastern portion of the District. The District has a land area of 968.36 square kilometres representing 29.84% of the entire land space of the Greater Accra Region (which covers an area of 3,245 Square Kilometers). The presence of a 22km stretch of the Volta River provides an enormous advantage for the fishing industry. Additionally, the geographic location of the district, being closer to Accra and the Tema Metropolis also provide an advantage for businesses, especially for export.
Population
The population of the District is projected to be 67,105 in the year 2020 with 32,680 males representing (48.7%) and 34,425 females (51.3%) (D.P.C.U, 2018). Demographically, persons aged 15-64 years constitute the majority of people in the District (56.7%). The population density of the District according to the GSS 2010 Report is 54 persons per sq. km.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the mainstay of the District economy employing 58.6% of the working population. The District is predominantly rural with 76.7 % of the populace living in rural communities with only (23.3%) residing in urban and peri-urban settings. The District has about 250 communities/settlements some of which are rapidly getting urbanized because of their proximity to Accra, the national capital. Dodowa is the administrative capital of the District. The District can boast of 4 Town/Area Councils (i.e. Sub-Governance Structures) and 2 Traditional Areas – Shai and Osudoku.
Shai-Osudoku District is located in the South-Eastern part of Ghana (proximity to Accra) in the Greater Accra Region. It has a total land size of 968.36 square kilometers representing 29.84% of the entire land space of the Greater Accra Region.
As already shown in the Map above, the Shai-Osudoku is a deprived community that comprises the main, Dangmes and with the total population stated above. The reason for our focus in this community is first; my [Lydia Koranteng] parents were born and lived a great part of their lives in the region. Lydia’s mother and sister have been residents in the Dodowa district continuously for the past 30 years. Having said that, the ministry is a continuation of the Ezetella memorial home, a charity in memory of the late Mr. Ezekiel Lartey, father of Lydia Koranteng There are no barriers in terms of the languages or dialects spoken by the people.
We are aware of the fact that due to the lack of jobs and the low income of a majority of the population in the district, a lot of families are struggling to be able to provide and meet the needs of their households.
Most are small-scale farmers and are dependent on the weather for a good harvest since they cannot afford any form of mechanized farming. This situation is compounded for widows and widowers who have children and sometimes very young ones to make ends meet. Life can be extremely hard for widows. The Ministry is intended to reach out to widows and widowers to encourage, empower and support them to maintain and possibly expand on their current small-scale businesses to help them provide for themselves and their children.
The community is full of teenage mothers, this includes those who drop out of school and those who have not been to school at all, some among this group form part of this widows ministry. The background search revealed that some mothers of these widows were once teenage mothers. For some sad reason, this cycle keeps repeating itself again and again in the family.
REFERENCE: The Department of Population Census Unit, Ghana
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