In this lunch seminar Akosua Aboagyewaa Darkwa presents her phd work on the financial experiences of female caregivers of orphan and vulnerable children (OVCs) in the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), a cash transfer programme in Ghana, with particular focus on their ability to save, invest, and build assets for long-term financial security.
Social protection policies and cash transfer programmes, like LEAP, are widely used for poverty alleviation (Drolet, 2020; Hidrobo et al., 2018), the study seeks to address the challenges of beneficiaries remaining in poverty despite their participation in such programmes. The research explores LEAP’s intended financial capability features and the reality faced by female caregivers of OVCs, who are often unpaid family members (Agyeman-Dua et al., 2018).
Using the qualitative, phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with the female caregivers of OVCs and LEAP programme officials. Preliminary findings indicate that while caregivers possess basic financial knowledge, they make minimal use of formal financial services. The findings confirmed financial literacy training is limited to general sensitization sessions which lack practical skills (MoGCSP, 2019). Female caregivers of OVCs perceive the cash grants as insufficient to meet basic household needs not to talk of enabling savings, investment and asset building. According to the female caregivers of OVCs, there are no interference in the use of funds from their families or community members. The programme does not have a clear exit strategy and the absence of reassessment of beneficiaries since 2008 has led to unchanged beneficiary status despite changes in the composition of the households (Republic of Ghana, 2023). The findings indicate the lack of a formal financial literacy sensitisation programme, and the perception of insufficient funds hinder the ability of the female caregivers of OVCs to effectively manage their finances and build assets. The findings emphasise the need for the design of more comprehensive and supportive financial literacy programme that will promote sustainable financial well-being of the beneficiaries to reduce poverty.
Akosua Aboagyewaa Darkwa is a phd student from University of Ghana. She is visiting the Department of Social Education at UiT for three months this fall.
Free soup for everyone attending the presentation. Welcome!
NB - the presentation will be given in English.
When: 10.11.25 kl 11.00–11.45
Where:
Panorama, UiT Harstad, Havnegata 5
Location / Campus: Harstad
Target group: Students, Guests, Invited, Enhet, Employees
E-mail: akdar8074@uit.no