RUWA-GHANA Launches GH¢500,000 Fundraising Drive to Expand Women’s Empowerment Programmes

Tamale, Ghana – July 20, 2026 – Rural and Urban Women Association (RUWA-GHANA) has unveiled plans to raise GH¢500,000 in one year to strengthen women’s economic empowerment initiatives and build a more sustainable funding base for the organisation.

The decision was reached at the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday at the RUWA-GHANA Conference Hall in Tamale, where board members also endorsed a series of strategic measures aimed at expanding the organisation’s impact across Ghana.

Addressing the meeting, Board Chairperson Dr. Sylvia Josephine Anie reiterated the organisation’s commitment to empowering women and called on members to intensify efforts towards resource mobilisation.

“We must strengthen our efforts to empower women while building a financially sustainable organisation that can continue transforming lives,” she told the Board.

The Board also deliberated on strategies to enhance RUWA-GHANA’s visibility and strengthen its engagement with key national stakeholders. Among the proposals discussed was the possibility of arranging a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament to share the organisation’s interventions and impact across the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions. Board members noted that such engagements could help build stronger institutional partnerships and increase awareness of RUWA-GHANA’s work.

A key outcome of the meeting was the Board’s decision to embark on a nationwide fundraising campaign to mobilise GH¢500,000 in one year. The funds are expected to support women’s livelihood programmes, social interventions and advocacy activities, while providing low-interest loans to organised women’s groups.

Executive Director Masud Aziz Rauf said the organisation had demonstrated its ability to transform lives despite operating under financial constraints.

“RUWA-GHANA has recorded significant achievements in women’s economic empowerment, good governance, sexual and gender-based violence prevention, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. However, our visibility remains relatively low compared to the impact we are making,” he noted.

He highlighted some of the organisation’s successes, including supporting women to participate in local governance, where three beneficiaries were elected as District Assembly Members during the 2019 local elections, while more than 30 women were mentored to contest leadership positions. He emphasized that “out of the 229 women elected nationwide to District Assemblies in the 2019 District Assemblies elections, the OSIWA-RUWA campaign contributed 3 slots to that number”.

Mr. Rauf also briefed the Board on ongoing efforts to operationalise a partnership with World Vision under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2024. “We have submitted all the requested information, including our bank details, but we are still awaiting feedback. We remain hopeful that the partnership will become operational,” he explained.

In response, Dr. Anie pledged to personally engage World Vision to help move the partnership forward.

The meeting also explored innovative approaches to ensuring the organization’s long-term sustainability through investments in agriculture and livestock production. Board members proposed acquiring land for RUWA Farms to generate income for the organization’s programmes.

National Secretary Issah Fuseina encouraged the organization on its diversification mantra urging more investment in agriculture as she drew inspiration from successful community livestock initiatives by other initiatives in the Savelugu area. “If we invest strategically in agriculture and animal rearing, we can create sustainable income while improving the livelihoods of the women we serve,” she said.

Supporting the proposal, Mr. Rauf pointed to his experience as a Project Officer with Actionaid-Maata-N-Tudu project on Education and Food Security where successes in grain banking and guinea fowl rearing in communities were rife, describing them as practical models that could be replicated and expanded to finance future interventions.

The Board also reviewed governance and administrative matters, including office accommodation, statutory obligations, website maintenance and institutional development. Members resolved to hold Board meetings every six months to strengthen oversight and improve strategic decision-making.

The meeting concluded with renewed optimism that the planned fundraising campaign, strategic investments and stronger institutional partnerships would position RUWA-GHANA to expand its support for women and vulnerable communities across Ghana while enhancing the organization’s financial sustainability.