Special Programmes for the Vulnerable and Excluded

The District intends to implement the community-based rehabilitation and education for the physical and mentally challenged persons in the district. As a first step such persons have been registered by the social welfare department of the district.  The programme will be implemented with active support and involvement with NGOs and CBOs.  

Some of the bias people with disabilities suffer include unemployment and discrimination in employment and negative societal attitudes towards people with disability. Community based Programmes of the aged is non-existent in the District.  However Save the Children International is assisting the District on Programmes to curb child abuse and betrothals and other rights of the child.  There is the need to involve traditional authorities in the Programmes to eradicate convention and tradition, which are anti social.

Living conditions and welfare of inmates of the Gambaga outcast home (Witches camp) have been of much concern to women’s groups, human rights activists, NGOs and other concerned organisations over the years. Inmates are mainly old women suspected of witchcraft and chased out of their communities. Currently the home functions as a refugee camp under the care and control of the chief of Gambaga and the Presbyterian Church. The church and other NGOs and organisations have organised various programmes to alleviate the suffering of the old women who constitute one of the highly vulnerable and excluded groups of people in the District. 

Gender

Most women are disadvantaged in one way or the other.  This state of affair perpetuate their poverty situation.  Generally women have limited access to ownership and use of resources like land, capital and financial resources.  There are also time and responsibility burdens.  According to the GLSS 4 1998/99 women’s workload is 15%-30% higher than men. 

This has affected childcare and family nutrition, encouraged exploitation of the child through child labour and resulting in poor enrollment and high dropout rates pupils especially the girl child.  Apart from the above, women have health vulnerabilities and high illiteracy rates. Due to the grave consequences of all these disadvantages the District is adopting special Programmes to empower women for rapid development.

The Districts Assembly

The District Assembly has a total membership of thirty-nine (39).  This is made up of twenty-one elected members and nineteen appointed members.  There is one member of parliament and an appointed District Chief Executive.  He presides over an Executive Committee of fifteen (15) members.  The committee is tasked with the executive functions of the assembly, which include co-ordination of plans and programmes of the sub-committee.  

There are six established sub-committees of the Assembly.  These are Development Planning, Social Services, Works, Finance and Administration, the Justice and Security sub-committees and the Agriculture and Environment sub-commiteess..  

Decentralised Departments

The eleven decentralised departments according to the local Government Act 1993, Act 462 are established in the District but most of them do not have the full complement of staff and the various constituents.The established department are Education, Works, Physical planning, social welfare and community development, natural resources conservation, Disaster Prevention, Finance, Trade and Industry, Health and Agriculture.

District Assembly Sub-Structures

The District has Two (2) Town Councils and three (3) Area Councils.  This town/Area Council has a total of thirty three Unit Committees that constitute the sub-structure of the District Assembly. 

Four out of Five Town/Area Council Offices have been constructed but the sub-structures are not fully functional because the salaries for the payments of staffs are not ready. The District Assembly is making all efforts to make the sub-structures of the District Assembly functional.

Good Governance  and Civic Responsibility

• Lack of programmes to develop the physically challenged and the vulnerable
• No programmes of assistance for the aged
• Limited knowledge of children’s rights 
• High incidence of child neglect by parents
• Lack of data /information on people with disability