COPIO is vibrant Non-Governmental Organization based in Ghana that seeks to promote self-development within marginalized, vulnerable, underprivileged and destitute groups and communities across Ghana and beyond. COPIO History
In the year 2008, a woman and a gentleman created a philanthropic organization focused on making measurable changes and impact in Ghanaian women, youth and children’s lives.
Inspired by the aspirations of the 31st December women’s movement, the Centre of Posterity Interest Organization was registered as a Non-Profit Organization for Gender Equality, Gender Based Violence, Women Empowerment and Development across the then Bono East Region and Ghana as a whole. At the COPIO, we believe that giving women and girls the skills, information, and opportunities to fulfil their potential will create vibrant, human right and healthy and inclusive communities. Centre of Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO) is an alliance of rural community women, youth, children, and aged who frowns on the practices of the sexual and gender based violence and seeks women right, and the general public empowerment, motivated to help change the world by working on awareness, advocacy and support to individual women and girls, organizations and projects dedicated to the improvement of women and girls suffering from poverty, oppression, abuse and a lack of opportunity. VISION
COPIO is to see a community where vulnerable and disadvantaged women, youth and men ascertain positive and sustainable lives and children survive as a right. MISSION
To combat abuses, diseases, promote health, environments, Socio-economic development and status of vulnerable and disadvantaged women, children, youths and men in community settings adopting Behavioural Change communication (BCC) strategy and PHC services offering scientific alternatives to Harmful Traditional Practices affecting their health and all forms of violence. In line with COPIOs organizational objectives, specific government policy, and the sustainable development Goals our areas of operations can be summarized as follows:
Establish Linkages with development partners both nationally and internationally.
Understand community-level assessment in the areas of health, education and income-generating opportunities in both rural and urban areas.
To provide Basic Health Education and Information training to women, and Youths for Development, Economic Growth and Poverty alleviation.
Reduce Maternal/Infant Morbidity and Mortality rates by the establishment of primary Health Clinics/Outreach clinics and activities.
To provide Essential drugs.
To develop, field-test and produce BCC Materials i.e. Posters, Handouts e.t.c
To raise Awareness on the on TB/STD/HIV/AIDS, promote and provide Home/Community Based Care.
To collaborate with others Bodies or Agencies Promoting Health.
Promote girl’s child education in the District and Communities.
Build capacity of both rural and urban entrepreneurs to operate competitively in the market environment
Combat Teenage Pregnancy and Early Child Marriage, Gender based Violence, and all forms of violence. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE
The organization is governed by a board of five directors, drawn from varied professional backgrounds such as Banking, Management Consultancy, Social work and Health Expects. The Executive Director in charge of the day-to-day administration of the organization and a team made up of Programs Director. ICT/Business Development Advisers, Monitoring Evaluation Officer. Research and Field Officers, and administration/Accounts Officers. COPIO has a few volunteers who at the grassroots as well as a team of Associates Consultants who offer specialized services when needed. AREAS OF EXPERTISE, SPECIAL AREA OF OPERATION AND PROGRAMS. AREAS OF EXPERTISE.
-Organization and Community based Development.
-Research and Advocacy Skills Training. ICT Services and lead in Advocacy for Associations
-Training in vocational, entrepreneurial and business management skill
-Baseline/Formative research on all forms of violence
-Primary Health Care
-Maternal New Born Child Health(MNCH) e.g. Safe-motherhood, Child-Spacing, Gender issues
-Adolescent health development programs
-Communicable/Non-communicable disease prevention control e.g. STI/HIV/AIDS, Malaria, TB, Breast and Cervical cancer.
-Business and carrier counselling, Marketing and sales skills, monitoring and Evaluation Services for Groups
SPECIAL AREA OF OPERATION
-Establishment of self-help groups and training of imitators/facilitators
-Training workshops in management with emphasis on small business management, organizational and leadership development
-Ensuring Social Accounting in various districts and municipal assemblies.
-Advisory services to help identify business opportunities and source of finance
-Technical advice in areas such as financial services, agriculture/agro-business management, Marketing and sales skills etc.
-Training workshops in areas such vocational and entrepreneurship skills, roles responsibilities for business associate and common based organizations.
-Research and advocacy development.
-Strategic investment in Girl Child Education. PROGRAMS
The programme areas of COPIO extends into Gender Based Violence, Health, Education, Social Accountability, Environment and Poverty reduction with the primary focus of helping the vulnerable who mainly are children and women through research and advocacy and empowerment drives. More so, COPIO had over the years implemented various programs in Techiman, Tuobodom, Asunafo, Nkoranza, Kintampo, Wenchi, Berekum, Jaman South and Dormaa (both the three districts) on social audit that sought to evaluate how well public resources are being used and how to improve performance and ensure maximum community participation in municipal and district assemblies’ activities. These projects increased public awareness of service delivery gaps and concerns, built trust between citizens and service providers, improved accountability of public officials towards citizens amongst others. COPIO thus fits well into the project.
1.Small Business Centres
Through the provision of need-based integrated services such as training, advisory services and accounting service, development of business linkages and market access. The Apex Small Business Center in Techiman, Sunyani, Mankessim, Akomadan, and Nkoranza Small Business, a library facility, exhibition center with referral services was extended. The program had various components:
a.WOMEN’S BUSINESS SUPPORT
Equip participants with productivity and entrepreneurial skills to enable them identify and enhance their potential
Facilitate interaction and business linkage among clients to serve as a feedback mechanism to assess and improve upon services.
Assist participating groups and individual clients to access and manage credit efficiently. b.YOUTH ENTERPRISE SUPPORT
This program provided vocational and entrepreneurship skill training for unemployed youth. It involves counselling, training, job placement and business support services. c.GROUP ENTERPRISE SUPPORT
This included training and business development for groups such as Market groups, Trade associations, Traditional groups, and Religious groups.
2.The Leadership Institute for Community Transformation. This program engages in capacity building through:
Self-Help Facilitators Development Program (SFDP): This was a Leadership and Empowerment program for self-Help initiators / facilitators.
Award for Youth Empowerment:
Through appropriate interactive learning and educational experiences, this program seeks to enable the Youth to significantly increase their performance capacity in other to achieve a culture of industry and a real sense of self-worth. This is for all young people between the ages of 12 and 35. SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Consultancy Services in:
Entrepreneurship Skills development
Marketing and Sales Skills
Human Resource Development
Conference Organizing
Organizing Special Events
Customized Institutional Development Programs
PREVIOUS AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES
2010-date: Monitoring of Techiman municipal assembly’s Medium Term Development Plan to ensure grassroots participation.
2014: Research and Advocacy on sanitation under Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition Campaign of Local Accountability Network in Techiman.
2003-2014: Implementing Business Advocacy for about 32 Business Associations in Ghana (BUSAC Fund)
2013-2014: Advocating and empowering the rights of people living with disability at the assembly’s level.
2009-2013: Ensuring environmental health accountability in Techiman, Nkoranza, Dormaa, Tuobodom, Wenchi, Drobo and Kintampo.
2010-date: Undertaking Public Expenditure Tracking (PET) in Techiman South and North districts, Nkoranza South and North districts, Kintampo South and North districts to ensure proper cash management of public officials.
2014-date: Undertaking various activities such as dialogue, advocacy and research in Techiman South and North districts under Local Accountability Network (LANet) to ensure social accountability of public officials.
2013-2014: Advocacy and empowerment of women in decision making in Dormaa, Drobo, Tuobodom, Kintampo and Techiman.
2003 –
Entrepreneurship Training for Women in Micro Enterprises for Techiman Young Ladies;
Training in Business Management for Farmer Groups in Eastern, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Central, Brong-Ahafo and Northern regions. This is sponsored by IFDC/GTZ and supported by MOFA, EPA and USAID.; Training in Conflict Management for Traditional Leaders in Brong Ahafo Region.
Facilitation of a Consultation on “Overcoming Violence” for Muslim Youths in the three Northern Regions
Establishment of a partnership with SNV – The Netherlands development organization.
Strategic Planning Process for the organization and Development of a new Vision and Mission statement.
2007: COPIO, an implementing partner of ACTIONAID Ghana. We Organized training in Entrepreneurship skill development, business management and leadership development for about 600 credit beneficiaries and credit committee leaders in the Sunyani,Tano, Dormaa and Techiman District in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
2009: Training and credit for victims of domestic violence in collaboration with the ACTIONAID-Ghana.
2009: Participating in Training-of-trainers program by ILO / FIT Ghana. Two groups have been trained (Nkoranza Business Women’s Association and selected entrepreneurs from three Districts in the Brong Ahafo Region)
2011-2012: Entrepreneurship training for Berekum Market Women- Self-help project in Berekum Municipality.
2012: Entrepreneurship training for women leaders in the Muslim Communities in the Wa Municipality. (In collaboration with Africa Women Development Fund).
2012-2013: Establishment of youth self-help program for a local NGO-self-help initiative support services in Techiman in the Techiman South and North Districts.
2015- 2019: With Funding from BUSAC, We have been able to accomplish the following;
We have built the Capacity building of dressmakers, hairdressers and barbers association for improved operation in Brong Ahafo Region with requisite development skills to help enhance their operations and improve their standard of living in the region
We have improved apiculture in Brong Ahafo Region through the fight against bush fires and reduce emission of Green House Gases in general and have introduce Community Resources Management Areas (CREMA) concept in the region as a new way of dealing with negative environmental practices such as bush fires hence conserving the environment and its resources particularly vegetation for apiculture.
We have formed 10 CREMA societies and are functioning to support the enforcement of by-laws hence incidences of bush fires reduced.
500 women trained and equipped with advocacy skills to serve as trainers and can lead future advocacy actions
2019-2021 – We have constructed a soap factory for Akomadan Federation of Persons With Disability as part of our poverty alleviation project funded by Australian Embassy.
2021 to Date: In collaboration with GACC, CDD, CLGA through social accountability project, we have Improve citizen’s access to information that will assist citizens to effectively monitor and start creating a culture of information sharing between service users and providers. We have also ensure that, proper procurement, budgeting and expenditure efficiency and transparency in the various operational areas to ensure public monitoring citizens are involved.
2019 to Date: With Funding from EU we collaborated with the Nkoranza North District to Provide basic infrastructure to promote commercialization of mushroom production and agribusiness capacity support; As a result, 1300 jobs are created along the mushroom value chain and in other agribusinesses for women, youth and PWDs;
2020 to Date: Another EU-co funded project being implemented by COPIO is ‘promoting access of indigenous people to decent work and social protection in the Bono East Area of Ghana’. This project has provided decent income jobs for 300 women through ginger production. 180 women signed onto NHIS and Pension Scheme.
2021 - Date: Also, COPIO is implementing Gender Transformative Project under the ‘Women Voice and Leadership in Ghana’ in partnership with Plan International and Global Affairs Canada, have support 280 women, in leadership positions at local level in the Bono East Region. The project focused on Gender Based Violence and women economic empowerment. Membership of Associations and Network and Partners:
COPIO is a member of
Ghana Food Security Network
Association of NGO’s in Finance
Ghana Coalation of NGO’s in Health
Small Business Services Network
Organizational Development practitioners
GHANET
Coalition of NGO’s in child Right
Ghana National Education campaign Coalition (GNECC)
Local Government Network of NGO’s (LOGNET)
BrongAhafo Network of NGO’s (BANCO)
ACTION2015
Local Council of Churches in the 27 District in B/A
Muslem Council
GPRTU of TUC, PROTOA.
Regional house of chiefs (Techiman Traditional Council, Wenchi Traditional Council, Nkoranza Traditional Council, Sunyani Traditional Council and Berekum Traditional Councils)
Institude of Local Governance Studies
Local Accountability platform
CDD
IDEG
Techiman Municipal Assembly and North District Assembly
Nkoranza South and North District Assemblies
Kintampo South and North District Assemblies
Asunafo South and North District Assemblies
Dormaa Municipal East and West Assemblies
Wenchi Municipal Assembly
Berekum Municipal Assembly
Ghana HIV/ AIDS Commission
ACTION AID
UDS
MUCG, Wenchi Campus
GEF, UNDP.
Ghana Education Service (MoE)
Media partners
Fred Zeini Groups of companies (classic FM Techiman B/A)
ASTA Company LTD (ASTA FM Techiman)
Frank Media Group of Companies
Royals FM, Wenchi
Agyenkwa FM Techiman
Jerryson FM, Nkoranza
YEGBON FM, Bole Bamboe
Omega FM, Drobo
AgyapaSei Network Company Ltd
PARTNERS
GACC
CDD
OSIWA
Plan International Ghana
European Union
CLGA
BUSAC
