Anemia remains a severe public health problem in Ghana, with 65.7% of children under five and 42.4% of women in reproductive age (WRA) suffering from anemia, according to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey report (GDHS). The Northern Region is more severely affected, with 82.1% and 47.5%, respectively, of children under five and WRA suffering from anemia.
Women's economic empowerment directly improves the family’s nutritional status. Village savings and loan associations (VSLAs) are community-managed groups aimed at empowering community members economically by providing them with a designated safe place to save their money and routine access to small loans and emergency insurance.
SPRING works closely with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to strengthen anemia programming. SPRING conducted and finalized a landscape analysis that provides information on the risk factors of anemia, assesses coverage of programs implicated in anemia prevention and/or control, and reviews the country’s anemia-related policies.
In Ghana, SPRING supported a Training of Trainers workshop to equip health workers from the Northern region of Ghana, including staff from facilities, midwives, community health nurses, and laboratory technicians, with knowledge and skills on anemia control activities.
Global Health Action, 2016.
GAIN, November 2016.
In 2011, vitamin A deficiency was recognized as a significant problem that affects about seven in ten children under the age of five in Ghana and contributes to one in three deaths of children 6-59 months. Consumption of vitamin A-rich foods is encouraged as it is important for improved health outcomes for households—especially for pregnant and lactating mothers and children under two.
SPRING/Ghana conducted a training of trainers (ToT) workshop for district-level trainers from seven districts—East Gonja, Tolon, Central Gonja, Tatale, Mion, Bawku West, and Kumbungu— in Ghana’s Northern Region to implement the District Assessment Tool for Anemia (DATA). The DATA is a tool to assess the anemia situation and strengthen programming at the district level.
Groundnuts are a commonly grown crop in Northern Ghana and are regularly consumed in the local diet. Their high-protein content makes them a good part of a diverse diet. SPRING is working with groundnut farmers to help them grow, harvest, and store groundnuts primarily for household consumption. Food grown for household consumption is frequently grown by women.
Groundnuts are a commonly grown crop in Northern Ghana and are regularly consumed in the local diet. Their high-protein content makes them a good part of a diverse diet. SPRING is working with groundnut farmers to help them grow, harvest, and store groundnuts primarily for household consumption. Food grown for household consumption is frequently grown by women.