RAFIU FISHONE 3 MONTHS IN NORTHERN GHANA

2015 arrived as many friends had wishes, hopes and dreams. i did not but i never wished for anything i just had the hope that things will be better. my stay in accra has been very interesting and filled with lessons.

My journey back to Tamale, Upper East and West has been very eye opening and engaging, i left Accra on 3 June evening that's was almost hours to the June fourth disaster, may the souls that were lost be at peace.i already knew of the ongoing developments happening in the three northern regions but i never had the chance to participate fully here is some interesting and memorable moments of my journey back home The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Center (NORSAAC) was founded in 2002 as a gender focused community-based advocacy organisation mobilizing youth to discuss and find ways of addressing sexual and reproductive health issues in schools. Since then, NORSAAC has taken a greater interest in sustainable livelihoods for youth and women, while integrating reproductive health issues and women’s rights and participation. click link to read more on NORSAAC Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC) http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/06/northern-sector-action-on-awareness.html IFDC is the institution implementing the "Feed the Future - Ghana Agriculture Technology Transfer project in collaboration with Digital Green organised a 8 day workshop to train extension agents on how to facilitate, mediate, film and produce a agriculture video and disseminate to farmers in their communities. The project which aims at increasing the yields and improving the lives of farmers across the region. One of the challenges the farmers and agriculture agents face is effective communication, and with video agriculture agents will be able to use both visual and audio " video " to communicate better and effectively. At the end of the workshop agents can produce agriculture videos using farmers in various communities to further more enhance farmer to farmer learning. As the saying goes " Seeing Is Believing " click link to read more on IFDC IMPLEMENTING FEED THE FUTURE AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER Project http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/08/ifdc-implementing-feed-future.html RAFIU FISHBONE TO HOST NIGHT OF POETRY AND MUSIC AT THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION INSTITUTE. click link to read more on RAFIU FISHBONE TO HOST NIGHT OF POETRY AND MUSIC AT THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION INSTITUTE http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/02/rafiu-fishbone-to-host-night-of-poetry.html WaterAid Ghana has done a lot for the past 30 years, since 1985 to improve water, sanitation and hygiene delivery in Ghana. WaterAid Ghana has done direct water provision through Bole holes, pipe extension, and hand drive wells to a little over 1,100 people in some of districts in Ghana. Mr Ibrahim Musah continued; In Gusheigu district, Tamale district, Wa East, Afram, Akuapim North etc. people still live without potable water On my one on one interview with Mr Ibrahim Musah, Head of Policy and Partnership at WaterAid Ghana. He said " Water challenges in Ghana are in various forms including inequality in access by rural communities, poor and marginalised communities. Urban areas and small towns don't have access to potable water". click link to read more on WaterAid Ghana 30 Years of Excellence http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/08/wateraid-ghana-30-years-of-excellence.html Rafi Fishbone meets Haruna Seidu Farming is the main source of income to majority of people in the Northern region of Ghana, mostly those engaged in farming are people from rural and urban areas across the region. The Feed the Future - Ghana Agriculture Technology Transfer Project in collaboration with Digital Green Went On a field visit, we paid a visit to Seidu Haruna, who is a maize and yam farmer in the East Gonja district, precisely DASHIE. Seidu Haruna is a father of one child and one wife, he has been farming for more than 10years. He grows 9 acres of maize and 1 acre of yam. click link to read more on AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROJECT IMPLEMENTED BY IFDC http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/08/ifdc-digital-green-agric-tech-transfer.html A Journey through the Savannah of Ghana: Abdul Raafi Mohammed on Curate Tamale @Rafiu_fishbone http://northernghanaculture.blogspot.com/2015/08/abdul-raafi-mohammed-on-curate-tamale.html?spref=tw … Rafiu fishbone on Tamale Girls & Education They say " when you educate a girl, you change everything ". From my view for the last 10 years i find this quote sinking. looking at where I come from. Out of 100% of the girls in Tamale only 25% are serious. The rest are very busy with makeup, cloths, Photoshop, IPhone and rich boyfriends. I look at the number of NGO companies in Tamale ready, willing and helping young girls. yet our girls are not serious. Things are getting out of hand, even to an extent the girls video themselves smoking, drinking alcohol and intentionally post nude pictures of themselves on social media. click link to read more on Tamale Girls & Education http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/08/tamale-girls-education.html Rafiu fishbone writes on Disabled Toilet Facilities Needed Urgently For years now, the big men in expensive suits are always arguing about the disability act and nothing has been done, others only think of how to make their offices, Mall, banks etc. stairs easy for disabled people. Frankly that's not the only problem they face. As to whether they have chosen to ignore or they don't know, I can't best tell If guilt could kill, the world would have ended long ago, I personally feel guilty after see a picture of a disabled young boy visit the toilet with no crouches. My friend Kola Nut posted the picture with this caption '' So I'm on my way to #AYWO Reading n Writing Clinic and I pass by this scene at a local public toilet. The guy has parked his wheel chair and gone in to use the facility. This really set me thinking and wondering how disability friendly are our public places especially local toilets like these? #Shit4Thought #TamaleChronicles ''click link to read more on Disabled Toilet Facilities Needed Urgently http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/08/disabled-toilet-facilities-needed.html Rafiu fishbone TILAA Celebration in Northern Ghana.. Just like Hallowe'en which is celebrated by many across the globe, Tilaa is a festival which has similar traits. The white people say Trick or Treat in Halloween but Dagombas Tilaa has a different way. It is celebrated on every 27 on the Dagombas calendar which also falls on the 27 day of Ramadan. click link to read more on TILAA Celebration in Northern Ghana.. http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/07/tilaa-celebration-in-northern-ghana.html COUNTRYWISE GHANA FILMING A MANUAL FOR UREA BRIQUETTING MACHINE. A briquetting technology to help rice farmers in fertilizer application has been introduced onto the Ghanaian market. The technology helps to convert periled urea fertilizer into pallets which are inserted amongst four rice plants to enable them get the right quantity of nutrients. The Feed the Future United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Agriculture Technology Transfer Project and Internation Fertilizer Development Centre IFDC in partnership with GANORMA Agro-chemicals introduced the technology. click link to read more on COUNTRYWISE GHANA FILMING A MANUAL FOR UREA BRIQUETTING MACHINE http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/07/countrywise-ghana-filming-manual-for.html COUNTRYWISE GHANA WORKING WITH NORSSAC TO PROMOTE GENDER AWARENESS Northern Ghana is the third poorest region in the country and recent research shows that only 60% of young people under 15 years of age living in the north qualified to enter secondary school. Regional education disparities have health impacts: 23% of young women age 15-19 with no education in Ghana’s Central and Northern regions have begun childbearing compared with 7% in the Western and Greater Accra regions. There is an unemployment rate of 42-46% among out of school youth in these areas. While 70% of the population relies on bicycles for transport; bike repair services are only available in cities. click link to read more on COUNTRYWISE GHANA WORKING WITH NORSSAC TO PROMOTE GENDER AWARENESS http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/06/countrywise-ghana-working-with-norssac.html The funky ReadWrite clinic The funky ReadWrite clinic is an intensive incubator grooming clinic that lures children to read and write through play activities/games, AYWO’s curriculum and technology. The aim of this clinic is to groom children to pick up pleasure reading and creative writing as quality leisure activities hence in the long run making them avid readers and prolific writers. The funky ReadWrite clinic http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-funky-readwrite-clinic.html GOLDEN MOVIE AWARDS STORMS STATE BANQUET HALL The Golden Movie Awards seeks to honour outstanding achievement in the Ghanaian and Africa television, digital media and film industries and is administered by the expert in the Cinema & Television. The Awards which is instituted by NMJ GHANA and its Africa and international partners seeks to bring together more than 1,500 key film professionals, craftspeople and decision‐makers from across Ghana and Africa, to honour, celebrate and promote the talent and accomplishments of the Ghanaian and African, film industries. click link to read more on JUNE 27. GOLDEN MOVIE AWARDS STORMS STATE BANQUET HALL http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-27-golden-movie-awards-storms.html GHANA MEDIA NOT HELPING Like seriously why is Ghanaian media so blind, the media in Ghana is so blind that they don't see developmental projects, inspirational people emerging from the youth. so blind that they see nothing positive around us expect politics and celebrities. click link to read more on GHANA MEDIA NOT HELPING http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/05/ghana-media-not-helping.html BUSINESS INDEX is a Television Program that seek to educate the public on the basic business ideas and tips that will help boast your income and raise awareness of certain DOs and DON'Ts in the world of business. We also speak to managers and decision makers in the business world. With me today is the former senior project manager at the NATIONAL INVESTMENT BANK, now the Managing Director of FOUNTAIN GATE MICRO FINANCE LIMITED. and our topic for discussion today is #FOREIGN_EXCHANGE. click link to read more on #BUSINESS_INDEX http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/05/businessindex.html THE MOVEMENT/DEMO BEGAN WITH THESE TWEETS #dumsormuststop ABDUL RAAFI MOHAMMED ‏@Rafiu_fishbone May 1 @yvonnenelsongh @Citi973 @Viasat1Ghana @Starr1035Fm @KafuiDey purchase fuel throughout a film production you will understand why #stopdumsor 10 retweets 4 favorites click link to read more on THE MOVEMENT/DEMO BEGAN WITH THESE TWEETS #dumsormuststop http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-movementdemo-began-with-these.html RAFIU FISHONE ON XENOPHOBIA CORRUPTION & TERRORISM Before I get involved in anything nowadays, I have to straighten out my own position, which is clear. I am not a racist in any form whatsoever. I don't believe in any form of racism. I don't believe in any form of discrimination or segregation. I believe in Islam. I am a Muslim. And there's nothing wrong with being a Muslim, nothing wrong with the religion of Islam. click link to read more on RAFIU FISHONE ON XENOPHOBIA CORRUPTION & TERRORISM http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/04/rafiu-fishone-on-xenophobia-corruption.html RAFIU FISHBONE - Rural and Urban Water Issues in Africa Africa faces huge challenges with multiple issues that adversely affect public health. One major challenge is the ability for both rural and urban Africans to access a clean water supply. According to the WHO (2006), only 59% of the world's population had access to adequate sanitation systems, and efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal, which is aiming for 75% by the year 2015, will fall short by nearly half a billion people. click link to read more on RAFIU FISHBONE - Rural and Urban Water Issues in Africa http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/03/rafiu-fishbone-rural-and-urban-water.html THE LEAGUE Girls Camp will bring together 50 girls from different high schools and different backgrounds. The girls will not only be exposed to learning leadership concepts towards honing their leadership qualities, they will have experts and field players to inspire and motivate them through different career paths and self development, engage in team building activities, engage in new talents and skills, tell their own stories, build strong friendships, share ideas and network, but most importantly, have FUN in such a learning environment. “The League Girls Camp” will be an intense fun-filled day immersion camp designed to inspire girls of today to become next generation leaders and game changers. This camp is intended to celebrate the power of girls and build a solidarity movement. THE LEAGUE Girls Camp http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-league-girls-camp.html Maternal mortality Maternal mortality is unacceptably high. About 800 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day. In 2013, 289 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented. Maternal mortality http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/03/maternal-mortality.html LACK OF TOILETS IN AFRICA - RAFIU FISHBONE WRITES In Africa, half of young girls who drop out of school do so because they need to collect water – often from many miles away – or because the school hasn’t got separate toilets for boys and girls. Not having a loo puts people at risk of being bitten by snakes as they squat in the grass and makes women and girls a target for sexual assault as they go to the toilet in the open. LACK OF TOILETS IN AFRICA - RAFIU FISHBONE WRITES http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2015/03/lack-of-toilets-in-africa-rafiu.html Mr Roy Ayariga, Co-ordinator of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) has observed that Ghana has a huge potential to produce and process soya beans for local consumption and export. He therefore urged farmers and processors of the crop to draw up strategies to achieve the goal. Mr Ayariga made the observation to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale after a nationwide tour of farms belonging to members of the National Alliance of Soya bean, to have first hand information about the challenges and prospects of the Soya bean and poultry industry. http://rafiufishbone.blogspot.com/2014/10/mr-roy-ayariga-co-ordinator-of-northern.html