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Ghana: "Witches" Woes World Vision Women and Children’s Advocate Angela Mason reflects on the plight of Ghana’s so-called “witches” — banished and rejected by their own families and communities.
So it was a shock to me when I saw no grandmothers in the village of Damdaboli, Northern Ghana, several summers ago. I traveled with Susie, a donor and a grandma of nine. Her family had provided a well for this village and it was marvelous to see her dancing and laughing with the community. During the celebrating, however, I turned to Gladys, one of the World Vision staff, and whispered, “Where are all the older women?” She looked down, her eyes filled with tears, and she said, “They’re in a witches camp.” The people of this region, I discovered, were steeped in the belief that witchcraft, sorcery or juju was thriving in their communities. Youngsters had been dying because of an outbreak of meningitis but older women, mainly widows, were accused of causing their deaths through witchcraft. Consequently, most of the old ladies had been chased away as evildoers. Some had even been lynched or stoned to death.
Determined to learn more, I returned this year to visit Kpatinga and other camps to find out what was going on. I was relieved to see the Kpatinga witches camp project was well under way. A borehole had been dug for a new well, warm clothing had been given to every woman and the local town women's cooperative (supported by World Vision loans) had been making regular visits to the camp to befriend these marginalized women. They traded soap and small food items with each other. The women's group told me that they cared deeply about these widows, felt nothing but compassion for them and did not think that any were witches. But the big connector had become the new well. Girls and women from the town were mixing with the camp ladies as they collected water and made friends.
Adija had been sent to help her grandmother when she was six years old. This tiny girl, obviously hungry, was living in exile too with no health care, schooling or future — except as a servant to her ailing relative. Other kids crowded around to see if we had brought anything to eat. Relatives sometimes send food and occasionally they will even visit, but many of the women had not had visitors or news from home for years. Almost 10 years ago, Hawa had been accused of poisoning a little nephew. Though the boy survived, Hawa’s husband did not intervene as his wife was blamed and banished. He did, however, help her pack a few possessions. I heard this kind of story repeated many times as I went from camp to camp documenting one tragic story after another. Everywhere I visited, scores of children appeared — mostly girls tainted by the stigma of witchcraft, forced to live in exile, growing up hopeless and helpless. World Vision Ghana, other Christian agencies and the Ghanaian government are trying to advocate for change because this is a cultural problem, centuries old, and rooted deeply in the hearts and minds of many. Plans are in progress for creating a shea nut butter business in Kpatinga camp so that the old women can at least make a living; but as for the girls, they sit and wait, unable to go to school. I left Adija and Hawa quietly chatting as they prepared some watery porridge. Hawa touched the little girl’s head and she looked up adoringly at her grandma. I remembered one of my grandma’s hymns: “Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light.” In most of the developing world, grandmothers play a critical role in family life. For example, millions of AIDS orphans sometimes only have a grandma left to care for them. They exert a strong influence in the well being of a community, they pass on knowledge, advise the male leadership and take responsibility for childcare. Their voices should not be drowned. In building a better world for children, the grandmothers construct the foundations. How You Can Help
|  | 1-888-511-6548 : P.O. Box 9716 World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
  
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