Fogwem Tikseem was formed in 2017 to address the problem of poverty, environmental degradation, unemployment among the youth, inadequate employable skills of young people, and the erosion of positive socio-cultural values in the Kassena-West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana. Fogwem is registered under the Ghana Registrar’s General Department as a limited guarantee company with a nonprofit organization status.
FOGWEM aims at the following:
In November 2021, Fogwem Tikseem in keeping with one of its objectives of developing employable skills for the youth, established the Chiana Leadership and Technical Center (CLETEC).
Fogwem has provided revolving credit facilities to women groups in Chiana. Over 100 women have accessed the credit for farming, agro processing and petty trading as a means of earning some income to support their families. The loan recovery rate has been over 85 % but current inflation rates, nearly 40 % and the price hikes of goods, with food items over 122 % increase has negatively affected the credit facility base. The credit facility has now evolved into what is known locally as “susu” being managed by the women groups themselves.
Kassena-Nankana West District and the Chiana area in particular are experiencing severe environment depletion caused by bush burning, soil erosion, tree felling, and poor and erratic rainfall patterns. The situation is threatening the livelihoods of local communities as the area is predominantly agriculture-dependent. Fogwem has helped to address the situation by assisting some youth in tree planting, compost preparation, and erosion control measures. Over 1000 tree seedlings have been planted in CLETEC, a venue for training and demonstrations to the youth. Groups of young people were trained in compost preparation using sawdust, grass, and manure. The compost was used in a demonstration vegetable garden which provided vegetables for the trainees at CLETEC.
With the support from friends from Saint Augustine and Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Fogwem provided ten (10) water tanks of various sizes (500 -2000 liters per tank to five families for harvesting rainwater during the months of July and September for domestic use and for livestock watering.
Storytelling has been for generations a powerful means of education among the Chiana people before the advent of western education introduced by the British and early Christian missionaries. In modern times traditional education systems and spiritual values are being eroded. Fogwem encourages its members who belong to different religious groups like traditional worshippers, Christians and Muslims to embrace the spiritual and positive values like prayer, peace, justice, integrity, solidarity etc, of their faith communities These systems and values help to reach the inner person/self, and provides motivation for unleashing full human potential. Traditional storytelling and cultural systems of education are promoted using modern communication technologies.
Fogwem is also promoting sports to help young people develop their athletic skills, and also as a means to reaching out to the young people to mobilize them for skills training. Fogwem provided five soccer teams with soccer balls, boots and T-shirts.
We collaborate and build partnerships with traditional leaders, elected officials, youth groups, women groups, educational institutions, local and regional governments individuals and organizations abroad. Story and Skill, Inc., USA in particular, is a partner and supports the work of Fogwem.