Chantal's Ghana Blog 2012!: 2012

Demographics
1. Population and profile (which age groups make up largest portion of society?)
*59.1 % are 15-64 years of age.

2. Birth and Death rate & life expectancy (include gender differences)
*Birth rate: 27.55 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) Death rate: 8.75 deaths/1,000 Women: out live the men by several years.

3. Literacy rate (include gender differences): definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.9% male: 66.4% female: 49.8% (2000 census)

4. Top 2 major causes of death (general population): Respiratory Tract Infections and Malaria

5. Major Exports and Imports: cocoa, timber, and gold

6. Percentage of population below poverty line: 28.5% (2007 est.)

7. Unemployment rate (urban versus rural, north versus south): Ghana Unemployment rate is 20%

8. Average educational attainment: More than two fifths (42.0%) of the population, aged 6 years and older, have never been to school. They work to feed/help their family.

9. Typical House construction, size, and cost: The average household size stood at 5.1, House Prices in Accra: $350,000

10. Prevalence of internet and cell phone users: limited usgae by Ghanians
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Standard of Living Analysis
Discuss what you think is the country’s standard of living—high, medium or low—and the reasons why the country has that specific standard of living focusing on the following 5 categories:

Physical Geography. What is it about the physical geography of the country that creates advantages or disadvantages for people in the country? Think about climate, vegetation, landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources. The advantages of living in the country are the natural resources such as gold, coal, oil, etc. Instead of having to go to third parties or make deals with other countries, They have the pleasure of their own supply. They also have large bodies of water that is very accessible. They fresh fruits and vegetables are raw and a very nice neccessity to have. The disadvantages are the heat and the lack of hygiene opportunities like other countries. The heat is hot and in many areas there is just very dry land and it can get to your skin and really get to your health. Hygiene can be an issue if you are too far away from water access, or you do not have showers or tubs. Those are some of the things they face.

Government System. What type of government runs the country and how effective is it? Is there corruption? What kinds of freedoms are present and/or lacking? Ghana has Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution. The government is not effective due to their lack of well being for the people of Ghana. There have been numerous cases of corruption, from fraud, theft, to rape and murder. They have motives of reaping monetary gain and do not have the best interest of the people of Ghana in mind. Their is very minimum freedom, but the freedom that they do have is to run businesses of their own.

Economic System: How do people make money (what are sources of employment?). Average wages for different professions? What kind of economic system dominates the country? Does the country have a trade deficit or surplus? Trade of gold, salt and other agricultural things are the main sources of income for the residents of Ghana. Trade dominates all fields. Minum Wage as of 2011 is $3.73.

History. What has happened in the country’s past (distant and more recent) that impacted its current standard of living? Revolutions, wars, stability, conquest, technological advances, discoveries, etc.? The country has undergone war, povery, rape and corruption. The earliest history can be brought back to slavery, and the slave trade era and selling og ghanians. There were many wars that took place in between and in today's Ghanian society, after their independence in 1956, ghana has had issues with sex trafficking and drugs.

Cultural Factors. What cultural factors affect the standard of living in the country? Things to consider: religion, cultural traditions, gender roles, class, food, music, and dance. the culture is very evident in Ghana. Religion affects the way they carry themselves in their every day lives. From praying, raising children, marriage, sexual intercourse, it all resorts back to their religion and it is one standard of living that is very much practiced. Gender Roles are an issue because men are looked at as superior and pretty much control their households and anything they say goes. Women do not have the voice that men have, some don't have rights at all. Their is either upper class or lower class, no in between. Food is a strong standard of living, sometimes it may be hard to come by, but they value their tradittional African food, and it bonds them as well. Music and dance connects them as well and reassures them that they are rich in their culture.

Relate the above to your project: With Women Empowerment, we want to give these women a voice that they are prohibited from using .Show them their self worth and grow their self esteem. We want to impact their lives and let them know that they are very much important.