SEND WEST AFRICA has climaxed its silver jubilee commemoration with a public lecture on the theme: “25 years of championing transformative social accountability and livelihood security for the poor and vulnerable,” on Thursday, August, 31, 2023 in Accra.
Purposed to drive positive change and foster lasting impact in the lives of its beneficiaries in Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the SEND WEST AFRICA has since 1998 created an equal and empowered society where rights and well-being were guaranteed for everyone regardless of age, status, tribe or gender.
SEND has a solid framework, which has proven effective over the years to ensure accountability, equity, transparency and participation. The organization has successfully applied it in monitoring government pro-poor policy programmes and public expenditure in Agriculture, Health and the Education sectors.
Delivering her anniversary public lecture, Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye, a social policy analyst and development management consultant, indicated that the organization’s mission is to promote good governance and equality of men and women and values from young people in areas such as decision making development, partnership for humanity development, equality of women and men learning innovation and sharing knowledge, openness and accountability.
According to her, whatever key development principle SEND GHANA promotes in this dramatic work, the organization also roll models in general and this character has been particularly evident in its practices of downward accountability and gender mainstreaming.
Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye, posited SEND has demonstrate so many things, “think about the remarkable adaptability and responsiveness to changes in national and international politics, financial and economic environments. Not to talk of the development of the effective working relationships with various parliamentary select committees and key ministries with an objective of influencing government policies through citizens’ feedback mechanism.”
Madam Janet Adama Mohammed, the Board chair of SEND GHANA, on her part noted that SEND WEST AFRICA in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, has implemented products and programs in the Education, Agriculture, and Health sectors, as well as peace building.
She expatiated SEND is very much known for its accountability, pro poor policy advocacy practice, working collaboratively in improving ministries and other institutions, as well as gender inclusive participatory approaches.
Madam Janet, further stressed that, SEND WEST AFRICA has significantly contributed to changing gender narratives through various approaches such as the Gender Model Family concept, Rural Commercial Women Association, and Microfinance with credit union orientation.
These approaches, she said have resulted in empowering women, fostering leadership, assertiveness, and decision-making, while also promoting financial inclusion and economic empowerment for women.
The chairman of the 25th anniversary lecture, Professor Dr. Kwadwo Mensah Abrampa, also indicated that SEND WEST AFRICA, through its various programs, has been at the forefront of promoting gender equality, advancing sustainable and agricultural development strategies, and improving overall health and wellness.
He added that, SEND WEST AFRICA has also contributed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure, enhancing livelihood security for the poor and vulnerable, improving social protection interventions, and fostering relationships with decision-makers towards influencing policies and promoting good governance practices of accountability, equity and transparency.
SEND WEST AFRICA’S 25th anniversary celebration lecture brought together stakeholders, partners, supporters and the general public to reflect their accomplishment and journey as they embrace the year ahead of the organization.
