Accra, June 17, GNA - The Rights and Voice Initiative (RAVI) Project , on Thursday ended its five-and-a-half years support to vulnerable groups to exercise their rights to be heard on issues affecting their development a nd livelihoods.

The project initiated in October 2004 with funding from the British Government's Department for International Development aimed at enhancing citizen engagement with the State in relation to respect, protection and fulfilment of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Speaking at the formal closure of the project, Mr Sam Ocran, RAVI Co-ordinator of Programme RAVI, said the enhanced citizen engagement had helped to improve lives and promoted rights of the citizenry. He said the project had succeeded in strengthening the ability of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and persons with disability, among others to demand and assert their rights. In addition, it supported citizens' demand for accessible, affordable , quality social services such as education, health, and social welfare. More than 100 Civil Society Groups, including community-based organisations, benefited from grants to undertake capacity building. Mr Ocran said the project was able to improve accountability through increase awareness of community members of their rights during public debates and built demand for transparency and accountability in governanc e.

Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, lauded the contributions of civil society groups to legislat ive reforms and policies, especially in decentralisation and natural resource

management. He assured civil society groups of government's readiness to engage with them on issues affecting the country's development and called on the m to increase awareness on the stigmatisation of People Living with HIV/AID S. Members of the project management team were given awards for their contribution to the success of the programme. A new programme Ghana Accountability and Responsiveness Initiative would be established to continue with the work of RAVI.