| CARE Gulf of Guinea's project of Urban Basic Education and Civil Society (BECS) project will be based in Ahanti and Western Regions of Ghana in the Towns of Takwa and Kumassi, Both towns are trading towns with a strong influence from the mining sector working in the surrounding area. This project supports Ghana's decentralization process by focusing on linking civil society organizations and newly created District Assemblies, and through the support of CSO development initiatives in an urban setting. This project will mobilize local communnitie to demand for decentralized government services and will increase the ability of departments of the District Assembly to meet that demand. the project will strengthen the linkages between communities and local government. As an entry point to this governance work with communities, CARE will address education and child rights needs which is rated highly in Ghana. The project will work with community school management committee in addition to CSOs selected by the community. The CSOs will be mobilized and trained to contribute to their basic needs in social services mainly in education but may also include water supply, development of health centres, community literacy campaigns, small economic activity development and skill building for unemployed youth. CSOs will be supported and trained by CARE to establish strategies to generate their own income. The income generated will be channelled towards civic support and often to support education initiatives. This project aims to increase school attendance, with a subsequent advantage of reduction of absenteeism and child labour. Improved school retention rates reduces vulnerability in many ways as children become more informed and confident to deal with situations and, through being in school, they avoid riskier environments. CARE has had noteworthy succes with tis approach in rural settings and CARE GoG is piloting this approach for strengthening the role of civil society in decentralized governance in the urban settings, where the social dynamics, access and vulnerabilities may be different to the rural setting. |