VISION STATEMENT
To have an equitable society in which every human being enjoys equal rights and live happily in peace and harmony.
MISSION STATEMENT
To work with communities, community structures to build the capacity of the marginalized in order to empower them to access their needs on sustainable basis.
INTRODUCTION
To operationalize the concept of equity among communities through the process of involvement and development of its people, there need be a total commitment among the youth and women of today to build a human society for all in the future hence the need to develop and harmonise policies to reflect current realities and policies from global and National frameworks such as Millenium Development Goals and the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy. Recognizing the gender imbalance in our development process, the organisation focuses more on gender mainstreaming in all projects and programmes to ensure participation, inclusion and voice.
BACKGROUND
The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC) was initiated in 2002 as organisation solely for HIV/AIDS. The initial name was Northern Schools AIDS Action Clubs. During this period, the organisation adopted the use of advocacy and networking tools in achieving its objectives. Formation of HIV/AIDS clubs in all levels of the nation’s educational institutions was also instituted.
In early parts of 2003, management of the organisation decided to upscale the activities and projects to cover areas of concern. The name was therefore revised to Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC). The revised idea was to work with communities, community structures to build the capacity of the marginalized in order to empower them to access their needs on sustainable basis.
The organisation therefore adopted advocacy and community mobilization as main strategies to achieve objectives. Marginalization of any group of people in every society was seen as a main challenge in the organisation restructuring process. Formal registration process was started and the organisation actively operates as a gender based advocacy organisation.
LEGAL STATUS
The organisation is a non-profit and non-partisan NGO. It has been duly registered with Registrar General’s Department with registration number G.13, 250 and Department of Social Welfare both in Accra. It has also been duly registered with the National Youth council (NYC) to facilitate its youth activities.
CORE VALUES OF THE ORGANISATION
We believe in social justice and in carrying out this philosophy, we are committed to the poor, the under privileged, the marginalised, the handicapped, the deprived and therefore seek to serve them by empowering them to realize and exhibit their God-giving potentials. We believe in these values.
- We belong to God; we acknowledge our God. In God’s love, mercy and grace are made known to us all people we desire Him to be central in our individual and cooperate life.
- We are committed to the needy; we are called as development workers ready to serve the needy people of the earth to relieve their suffering and to promote the transformation of life. We seek to facilitate an engagement between the needy and affluent that opens both to transformation.
- We value people; we regard all people as created by and loved by God. We act in a way that respects the dignity, uniqueness and intrinsic worth of every person; the needy, donors, our staff and their families, the board and volunteers. We give priority to people before any other thing.
- We are stewards; the resources at our disposal are not for us. The resources are from God through donors on behalf of the needy. We are faithful to the purpose for which those resources are given and manage them in a manner that makes the maximum amount available to benefit the poor. We are stewards of God’s creation.
- We are partners; we are members of NORSAAC; partnership that transcends legal, structural and cultural boundaries; we accept obligations of joint participation, shared goal and mutual accountability that my partnership requires.
- We are responsive; NORSAAC is responsive to the life-threatening emergencies where our involvement is needed and appropriate. We are willing and ready to take intelligent risk and act quickly. We do this from a foundation of experience and sensitivity to what the situation requires. We also recognise the contribution of the destitute, the needy and PLWHAS.
- We are gender sensitive; the organisation in all its dealing would respect involvement of all sexes. It shall promote inclusion, participation and voice. NORSAAC management and board would also be constituted with consideration of gender sensitivity.
NORSAAC focuses on three main thematic areas, these are; Women Rights, Health and Education with the rest as non-thematic interest areas:
A. WOMEN RIGHTS
A.1. Institutional based gender project.
- Violence against Girls in Schools.
- Capacity Building of female students to contest leadership positions in schools
- Engaging with Education Authorities to address leadership structures in schools.
- Formation of gender clubs.
- Reducing the gender parity in all levels of education.
- Economic Empowerment of women; ways of sustaining income and promotion of community products.
- Women in leadership and party political decision making.
- Sensitization on women rights.
- Engaging community discussions to address cultural barriers affecting women participation, inclusion and voice
- Advocacy on streetism and child labour.
- Partnering with other organizations to mainstream gender in all activities and projects.
- Engaging district assemblies, politicians and community leaders to empower and involve women in development.
- Capacity building for staff
- Advocacy and Networking Approaches for women.
B.1. School Health and Sexual Reproductive Health
- Improve parent- child health communication
- Advocacy on basic health practices.
- Training and provision of first aid facilities.
- Advocacy on substance influence for learning in institutions.
- Drug abuse, tobacco use and safe mental health practices.
- Protection of destitute and advocacy on their safety.
- Advocacy
- Integration of PLWHAs in communities
- VCT
- Child learning and Development Project
- Empowerment of SMC, PTA to enhance effective teaching and learning.
- Girls’ enrolment, retention and progression.
- Support for needy students.
D. PEACE PROMOTION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
- Capacity building on mediation
- Conflict management
- Monitoring GPRS and HIPC
- Empowering unit committees and other local structures to demand their rights from districts assemblies.
- Encourage assemblies to adopt and use PRA and Access Base Community Development as tools for community development.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the organisation include the following:
• To create general awareness on HIV/ AIDS subject and other diseases that will threaten the development of the country
• To facilitate the empowerment of existing and new institutions at community, district, regional and national levels that will promote good governance and proper representation of women, by women and for women.
• To work with the poor, powerless and generally the marginalised and/or the excluded to have their voices heard and their rights recognized.
• To enhance the opportunity of the poor and marginalised to have access to quality basic education.
• To encourage and facilitate dialogue between young people, children, parents and policy makers
METHODOLOGIES USED BY NORSAAC
The main strength of the organisation is advocacy and community mobilization. It encourages the following approaches in its activities.
- Participatory Rural Approach
- Rights Based Approach
- Access Base Community Development
- Community Capacity Enhancement Methodology designed by UNDP.
- Stepping stone Methodology designed by Action Aid and partners
- Journey of hope designed by John Hopskin University
- Oxfam designed gender manual
- Violence Against Women Manual
- National Malaria Control Strategy document designed by Ghana sustainable change project (GSCP) and Ministry of Health.
- CIDA gender guides (Manual).
- Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategic Document.
- Millenium Development Goal
- UN convention on the Rights of the child
- Constitution of Ghana
- Domestic Violence Bill.
