Inauguration of the Agona West Coalition for community development
On the 22nd December 2015 was Inaugurated: Agona west coalition for community development (AWCCOD) is a community based organization made up of people from various stakeholders with diverse experiences who have come together with training support from the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) and the Philip Foundation (PF) on anti drug rescue strategies to enable us create a safe, healthy and drug free communities in the Agona west Municipality.
The organization was established in September 2015 by a core team of seven namely, Nana Kweku Essieni IV (TRADITIONAL COUNCIL – CHAIRMAN, 0208322821), Mr. Bright Amissah – Nyarko (HERO NETWORK – VISE CHAIRMAN, 0201156511) Mr. Gilbert Kofi Germain (YOUNG AND LONELY FOUNDATION – ORGANISER, 0207920698), Ms Hilda Brako (GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE – COORDINATOR, 0209166035), Mr. Justice Anim Boanu (GHANA HEALTH SERVICE – SECRETARY, 0209232872), Ms. Dorcas Apronti (COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – ASSIST. SECRETARY, 0202843020), and Mr. Ebenezer Asare-Prah (GHANA POLICE SERVICE – TREASURER, 0244429729).
The purpose of the coalition is to educate and sensitize youth and identifiable groups on drug use and abuse, and to provide support services in the health sector, especially in controlling and combating drug menace; and to help reduce poverty by supporting the youth and other identifiable groups to acquire skills and attitudes necessary for enterprise creation. It is also targeted at providing rapid response to the socio – economic needs and the welfare of the poor and the marginalized persons in the society.
The AWCOD team has rich experience in drug management and control strategies and proper management of Health and Education projects. Our outfit is capable of building the capacity of community based volunteers to monitor drug use and abuse among youth and advocate against the use of hard drugs and promote healthy lifestyle. Due to the high poverty level in Agona West municipality, 13 percent of the total population is unemployed with most made of the youth.
Swedru being the Municipal capital and a busy market center makes it a cosmopolitan as a result of its surrounding communities.
The main occupation in swedru is farming which contributes 40%, Government workers 7%, Aged/Disable 1%, School Children 20%, and Business Owners 20%, Unemployed13%.
1.0 MISSION:
To develop and maintain an anti drug society which is peaceful, healthy and friendly.
2.0 VISION:
A society free of drugs and ill health.
3.0 AIM:
To help reduce and eradicate drug menace in society
4.0 OBJECTIVES
To form a larger coalition of organizations/groups and individual with similar ideas to resolve
drug use and abuse in the society.
To form and train community watch dogs and volunteers for the purposes of community anti drug education and advocacy.
To educate and sensitize students, youth and identifiable groups on drug use and abuse
To provide health care and education for people engaged in drugs
To form anti drug clubs in schools
To advocate against drug use and smoking in public
5.0 AREAS OF FOCUS
Health
Education
Security
6.0 TARGET GROUP
Students
Youth
Chemical shops
Drug peddlers
Identifiable groups/clubs
7.0 COALITION PARTNERS:
Ghana Education Service
Traditional Council
Community Development
Ghana Health Service
Ghana Police Service
Judicial Service
Department of Social Welfare
NGOs (Young and Lonely Foundation & HERO Network)
Assembly Members
Religious Leaders
Transport Unions
Information Service
Media
8.0 HOW WE WORK
As an organisation, we cherish the values of inclusion and participation. We operationalize these in the development of projects that involve beneficiaries or target groups in very integral ways. Participation is a key confidence builder, and we see this as a strategy to enable our beneficiaries develop skills and confidence in their own abilities such that they become less and less dependent on external help and take charge of their own development.
With increasing globalization and the necessity for the accurate information for quality decision-making and performance, AWCOD cherishes the formation of strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals. To this end, the organisation works to link up with institutions and other agencies with similar interests in development and eradication of drug use. These include the CSOs, Ghana Police Service, the Judicial Service, Social welfare, CADCA PF among others from whom AWCOD currently receives quarterly newsletters and reports on burning issues of drug use and abuse today. We also undertake project specific partnerships in the areas of project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. AWCOD pursues this consciously by including representatives of drug users, beneficiaries, and drug peddlers on projects to facilitate monitoring to receive feedback on time to improve project performance.
9.0 OUR EXPERIENCE
The organisation has considerable experience drawn from the professional experiences of its personnel. These are in the areas of health, education, security, community development, and projects management.
