Community-led development; Tarikpaa Residents Launch Fundraising Drive to Construct Nurses’ Accommodation
Residents of Tarikpaa, a community in the Savelugu Municipality of the Northern Region, have once again demonstrated strong community spirit by initiating a new self-help project aimed at improving healthcare delivery.
At a local fundraising forum held in the community, sons and daughters of Tarikpaa, both home and in the diaspora came together to raise funds for the construction of nurses’ accommodation, a move expected to encourage health workers to live and work permanently in the community.
The forum, which is periodically organized by the people of Tarikpaa, serves as a platform to mobilize resources for critical development projects.
At the end of the event, the community realized about GH¢33,000, alongside pledges of 40 bags of cement and two trips of sea sand toward the accommodation project.
This latest initiative builds on the community’s earlier success in 2020, when residents mobilized local resources to construct a community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound.
That project significantly improved access to healthcare and reduced the need for residents, especially pregnant women, to travel long distances for medical services.
Tarikpaa continues to stand out as one of the leading communities in self-help development initiatives in the Northern Region.
Over the years, the people have proven that unity of purpose can address pressing challenges, even in the absence of direct central government support.
According to the 2020 Population and Housing Census, Tarikpaa has a population of 5,505 people. Community development in the area is largely driven by local fundraising, contributions from indigenes living in major cities, and strong communal labour.
Residents share common traits of commitment to self-help projects and willingness to contribute resources for the collective good.
Prior to the construction of the CHPS compound, nurses operated from a dilapidated structure infested with rodents such as rats and moles. Despite these harsh conditions, health workers, particularly the midwife remained committed to serving the community.
Encouraged by the success of the CHPS compound, the community has now embarked on a three-bedroom nurses’ accommodation project, which has commenced but is still at an early stage.
Speaking at the fundraising ceremony, Mr Mahama Wumbei, a former Assembly Member for Tarikpaa and a member of the project planning committee, said the decision to construct nurses’ accommodation was inspired by the success of the 2020 CHPS project.
He noted that the collective effort of Tarikpaa residents has helped save lives and prevented pregnant women from undertaking risky long-distance travel in search of healthcare.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Savelugu, Alhassan Fuseini, commended the community for its consistent efforts in addressing its own development challenges.
He stated that government appreciates such initiatives and revealed that authorities have stopped constructinghealth facilities without staff accommodation.
He further promised to support Tarikpaa in securing teachers’ bungalows to improve education delivery in the area. The Assembly Member for the Tarikpaa Electoral Area, Alhassan Osman Askandar, explained that after the Municipal Health Directorate demarcated communities into CHPS zones, the Assembly was unable to provide a health facility for Tarikpaa.
This situation, he said, compelled residents to take responsibility for their own healthcare needs. He attributed the community’s strong development-oriented spirit to the cordial relationship among traditional leaders, religious bodies, and indigenes in the diaspora, noting that this unity continues to drive Tarikpaa’s progress.
As the nurses’ accommodation project progresses, residents are hopeful that improved living conditions for health workers will further strengthen healthcare delivery and cement Tarikpaa’s reputation as a model of community-led development.
