ActionAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has so far supported 1,721 children in the Upper West Region, with educational sponsorship package to enable them to complete school.

Mr. George Dery, Upper West Regional Development Programme Manager of the NGO, who announced this, said the beneficiaries are from schools in the Sissala East, Jirapa and Lambussie/Karni Districts.

He said 1099 school children in the Sissala East District had benefited from the scheme under Greece sponsorship while 622 of them in the Jirapa and Lambussie Karni districts had been assisted under a United Kingdom programme.

Mr. Dery made these known at a media encounter in Wa, which aimed at promoting human rights and development as well as articulating the concerns of the poor and vulnerable in society.

He said ActionAid Ghana had built 11 schools in some deprived communities to promote education in the region, and commended government for absorbing those educational institutions.

Mr. Dery also praised government for accepting its piloted Rural Education Volunteer Scheme that was being implemented as Pupil Teacher Model under the National Youth Employment Programme.

He said ActionAid Ghana was partnering the Tumu Deanery Rural Integrated Development Programme, the Action for Sustainable Development and Community Aid for Rural Development, all other NGOs, to promote human rights and eradicate poverty in the region.

Mr. Dery said that women’s rights, the right to education, life and food, and issues on climate change, HIV and AIDS, and good governance were ActionAid Ghana thematic focus for the past 10 years in the region.

He said to help accomplish this task; the NGO has established five ‘’community grain banks’’ in Gwosi, Bujan, Kasana, Sakai and Banu, all in the Sissala Eat District, to ensure the availability of food all year round for more than 4,000 people.

Mr Dery appealed to farmers in the Sissala East, Jirapa and Lambussie/Karni districts to form groups to champion their interest, including the introduction of animal traction as an appropriate land preparation technology.

He said that 720 women in the region had benefited from donkey traction, which had significantly helped to reduce their workload.

Mr Dery said ActionAid Ghana has provided corn mills and trained women towards poverty alleviation and economic empowerment of women.

He said the NGO was working with traditional rulers and stakeholders in the health sector, to reduce socio-cultural violence against females to improve maternal and child health in its operational communities.

Mr Dery said ActionAid Ghana was supporting women to participate in the district assembly election to increase their representation at least by 30 per cent in the assembly in 2015.