New Dawn for Social Development (New Dawn) is an organisation established to support the vulnerable with a special focus on women, youth and children. The organisation wants to ensure a just society and promotes that every person especially the vulnerable have the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and participate in all aspect of their development processes. Thus, the organisation’s goal is to improve the socio-cultural and political lives of the vulnerable by focusing on sustainability.
New Dawn’s mission is ‘to inspire and empower women, youth and children and support them in their development processes as catalyst, facilitators and advocates.’
Since 2011, New Dawn is implementing the Aflatoun programme amongst other programme activities. The integration of the Aflatoun programme is to inspire children in deprived areas and schools, and encourage them to believe in themselves, identify and mobilise the resources in their environments and change their situation for the better. New Dawn has partnered with a number of development organisations to reach almost all regions of the country with the programme. Currently, the organisation is working with the youth and women on Solidaridad and Hershey Projects to deliver social and financial education. One of the projects is called MASO that teaches social and financial education on cocoa farming and cocoa production in Ghana. These projects can impact and transform the lives of the vulnerable.
New Dawn is witnessing achievements since the implementation of the programme. Children are staying longer in schools until graduation. They are engaged in financial enterprises and savings to support themselves and become independent. Moreover, the children are taking initiatives on social enterprises to benefit the people in their communities.
Mawuse’s story
“I am a young female cocoa farmer called Mawuse. After completing my senior high school education, I went to Accra to teach at a private basic school. The remuneration was so poor that I could not meet my basic need and had to go back home. However, when I went back, at the same time “MASO” was enrolling youth for the cocoa growing project. I joined and since then, I have benefitted a lot from the programme by gaining many skills. For example, cultivation of cocoa, leadership, how to manage our resources especially money, sexual and other health education as well as how to start a business. I also benefitted from the business coaching programme for youth. I was fortunate to be selected and represent my team members on many youth platforms as well as participated in the Annual event in Uganda in November 2017. So far, I am making some income with the plantains we have intercropped with the cocoyam to maintain my 2 acres farm. My confidence level has improved, and I do not have any fear to speak in public anymore. I am planning to ask the government to support us females with land and some loans to expand our farms, since we are facing some challenges as being a woman with land and money to increase the acreage of our farms.”
To learn more about Aflatoun’s global social and financial education movement and how you can join us, click here.