The name Gbumgbum might be a little cumbersome to pronounce, but the village that goes by it has surely witnessed some transformation ever since World Vision (WV) started operations in the community.
"This place was in complete darkness but since World Vision came here, it has become complete light," declared Abdulai Adam, regent of Gbumgbum when the National Director of World Vision Ghana, Nerquaye Tetteh, visited his community to see things for himself.
Saibu Osman (30) of Gbumgbum also agrees with the regent's assertion. He has just returned from his farm, located about half a mile away from the community. "If I told you all the transformation that World Vision has brought to this community, you would not be able to write it all", he says. Osman, who has 2 wives and 5 children, is a farmer and is happy with World Vision’s presence in Gbumgbum.
"Before World Vision came, our way of living in this village was bad. We had no potable drinking water and we used to drink water from ponds and streams which gave us guineaworm. Our environment was always dirty leading to a high incidence of diseases such as malaria. People in this village did not also have any regard for education because the school facilities were poor and so there was no encouragement to send children to school. Again, our women had no way of surviving because they could not get financial help from any where", declares Osman as we sit under a tree in front of his home in the centre of Gbumgbum.
Gbumgbum is a beautiful community located about 9 kilometers from Savelugu, the district. Capital of Savelugu-Nanton district, with a population of about 68 I people.
Osman's son, Jafaru Saibu (8), is also a beneficiary of the changes that World Vision has brought to the community. "I can now learn comfortably in our new classroom instead of the overcrowded old classroom we used to have and I don't have to worry about missing classes due to guineaworm", Jafaru discloses, as be changes out of his school uniform provided by World Vision, after close of school. He attends "Nsim Niboma nursery school, which means "friend in development. World Vision built the three-classroom nursery with funds provided by ‘Telford Foundation' in the USA.
The nursery school, which can house about 180 children, currently accommodates about 90 nursery children. As a result, a section of the primary school is occupying part of the nursery school block while awaiting the completion of their primary school. There has been significant improvement in the enrolment in the nursery ever since the block was completed. Before the school was built, the total number of school children in Gbumgbum for both nursery and primary was 91 but after the school was constructed, the number of children shot up to 231, with the nursery alone recording about 90 children. Again, before the construction of the school block, the whole school was handled by one teacher. However, World Vision has enlisted the services of four volunteer teachers to teach the children.
In addition to the new nursery, World Vision has provided the community with a borehole, a laundry pad, five Ventilated Improved Latrine Pits and has trained four community members in pump maintenance and repairs as well as nine people in water and sanitation matters.
The ADP is also at an infant stage of providing a six classroom primary school block and office for the community.
For now, however, Osman and his 5 children, Jafaru, Afisu. Malik, Maisa and Tayibatu are witnesses to the immense transformation taking place in their home. Each of Osman's two wives, Zailia (30) and Rahinato Saibu (23) are beneficiaries of a credit scheme instituted by World Vision for the women of Gbumgbum.
Last year, the two ladies received 200,000 cedis each with which they purchased three bags of shea nut each and from which they produced shea butter for sale. This year, they received 343,000 cedis each from WV. A total of about 12 million cedis was disbursed in Gbumgbum this year and about six million cedis was disbursed last year to 30 such women in the community.
"I have been able to pay back my loan with interest and the profit I made from the sale of shea butter has been ploughed back into the purchase of one more bag of shea nut." reveals Rahinatu, the youngest of the wives and mother of two.
Zailia (mother of Jafaru) on her pan adds, "Now I can pay my children’s school fees promptly, solve my personal problems and not rely on my husband for money to buy ingredients for the house. The loan has enabled me to provide something for my children to carry to school each morning."
The two women agree that they have benefited a lot from World Vision apart from the loan scheme. They say that World Vision has taught them how to manage money properly, care for their children and homes, understand environmental and personal hygiene and see the importance of moral education.
"This place was in complete darkness but since World Vision came here, it has become complete light," declared Abdulai Adam, regent of Gbumgbum when the National Director of World Vision Ghana, Nerquaye Tetteh, visited his community to see things for himself.
Saibu Osman (30) of Gbumgbum also agrees with the regent's assertion. He has just returned from his farm, located about half a mile away from the community. "If I told you all the transformation that World Vision has brought to this community, you would not be able to write it all", he says. Osman, who has 2 wives and 5 children, is a farmer and is happy with World Vision’s presence in Gbumgbum.
"Before World Vision came, our way of living in this village was bad. We had no potable drinking water and we used to drink water from ponds and streams which gave us guineaworm. Our environment was always dirty leading to a high incidence of diseases such as malaria. People in this village did not also have any regard for education because the school facilities were poor and so there was no encouragement to send children to school. Again, our women had no way of surviving because they could not get financial help from any where", declares Osman as we sit under a tree in front of his home in the centre of Gbumgbum.
Gbumgbum is a beautiful community located about 9 kilometers from Savelugu, the district. Capital of Savelugu-Nanton district, with a population of about 68 I people.
Osman's son, Jafaru Saibu (8), is also a beneficiary of the changes that World Vision has brought to the community. "I can now learn comfortably in our new classroom instead of the overcrowded old classroom we used to have and I don't have to worry about missing classes due to guineaworm", Jafaru discloses, as be changes out of his school uniform provided by World Vision, after close of school. He attends "Nsim Niboma nursery school, which means "friend in development. World Vision built the three-classroom nursery with funds provided by ‘Telford Foundation' in the USA.
The nursery school, which can house about 180 children, currently accommodates about 90 nursery children. As a result, a section of the primary school is occupying part of the nursery school block while awaiting the completion of their primary school. There has been significant improvement in the enrolment in the nursery ever since the block was completed. Before the school was built, the total number of school children in Gbumgbum for both nursery and primary was 91 but after the school was constructed, the number of children shot up to 231, with the nursery alone recording about 90 children. Again, before the construction of the school block, the whole school was handled by one teacher. However, World Vision has enlisted the services of four volunteer teachers to teach the children.
In addition to the new nursery, World Vision has provided the community with a borehole, a laundry pad, five Ventilated Improved Latrine Pits and has trained four community members in pump maintenance and repairs as well as nine people in water and sanitation matters.
The ADP is also at an infant stage of providing a six classroom primary school block and office for the community.
For now, however, Osman and his 5 children, Jafaru, Afisu. Malik, Maisa and Tayibatu are witnesses to the immense transformation taking place in their home. Each of Osman's two wives, Zailia (30) and Rahinato Saibu (23) are beneficiaries of a credit scheme instituted by World Vision for the women of Gbumgbum.
Last year, the two ladies received 200,000 cedis each with which they purchased three bags of shea nut each and from which they produced shea butter for sale. This year, they received 343,000 cedis each from WV. A total of about 12 million cedis was disbursed in Gbumgbum this year and about six million cedis was disbursed last year to 30 such women in the community.
"I have been able to pay back my loan with interest and the profit I made from the sale of shea butter has been ploughed back into the purchase of one more bag of shea nut." reveals Rahinatu, the youngest of the wives and mother of two.
Zailia (mother of Jafaru) on her pan adds, "Now I can pay my children’s school fees promptly, solve my personal problems and not rely on my husband for money to buy ingredients for the house. The loan has enabled me to provide something for my children to carry to school each morning."
The two women agree that they have benefited a lot from World Vision apart from the loan scheme. They say that World Vision has taught them how to manage money properly, care for their children and homes, understand environmental and personal hygiene and see the importance of moral education.
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