Care International an non-governmental organisation (NGO), at the weekend organised a one-week adaptation learning programme on digital photo story for Journalists in the Northern Region.

The purpose of the training was to impart to participants new knowledge on the Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) for programme staff, community members and local journalists to use Digital Photo Storytelling (DPST) as a process of helping community members prioritise and share their climate change adaptation strategies.

The Participants had the opportunity to interact with some of the community members on voicelessness and vulnerability, such as the practices of old and new, in Zambulugu in the Northern Region.

Mr. Isaac Wuni, a farmer from Zambulugu who spoke to Journalists at the training session said, in the olden days, decision making in the community was mainly male dominated without the involvement of women, children and persons with disabilities.

He said the men only informed the women about the decisions taken afterwards, which he believed retarded development in the community.

Mr. Wuni also talked about the area of education and said, females were not allowed to go to school because they did not place any value on female education in their community.

He also highlighted on the activities of the District Assembly saying the community members did not know anything about the Assembly and also did not have any business with the assembly in the past.

He said, “Now, non-government organisation (NGOs) like PARED and CARE International came into the community and through initiatives like Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP), they have built our capacities to enable us to engage with the District Assembly.

“We have also been sensitized on the need to involve women, children and persons with disabilities in decision making and also female children are now sent to school together with the boys”. Mr Wuni, added

He indicated that NGOs had also built the capacities of the people on how to approach the District Assembly to address their development challenges.

Mr Wuni said, “A rain guage has also been installed in our community through the NGO's initiative, to enable us to record the amount of rainfall for seasonal planning.

“We now have many female children in school and if this continues in the next five to six years, the community will produce literate girls who can become nurses and doctors”, he added.**