The main goal of my project was to assist the vulnerable and marginalized rural folks with relevant information and necessary personal protective equipment needed to stop the spread of corona virus in an election period. This was deemed important and necessary especially in this election period because everything to do with an election comes with crowds and human contact which also serves as an avenue for the spread of the covid19 virus.

The crowds from campaigns, political rallies and election queues were all threats to the safety of the electorates and for that matter people especially in the rural communities needed to be informed and reminded about the dangers associated with the virus and the need for them to observe all the protocols especially during this election period and beyond.

The project so far has been a great success. We have visited twenty (20) communities so far reaching out to 2400 people in 400 households with covid19 education and distribution of PPEs particularly; reusable nose masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, medicated soap and more. The team has also constructed tippy taps and placed veronica buckets in vantage points in the communities visited like churches, mosques and chief palaces to ensure that people practice proper hand washing on a regular basis and with more ease and access.

 The team also took advantage to campaign for a peaceful conduct during the election period, this was targeted particularly at youth groups and youth dominated households in the communities to emphasize on the need for them to create a harmonious atmosphere before, during and after the elections.

The impact of this project has been so wonderful. It has increased scout visibility in the communities and the rural folks now see scouts as people they can rely on in difficult times like voting in the midst of a pandemic and above all, the project has helped to build the skills of the project implementation team through training and interactions with traditional rulers, opinion leaders, health workers, security agencies, the media and vulnerable groups in the community.  

My team and the Ghana scout association at large are immensely grateful to the Africa Scout Foundation for identifying the significance of our project idea and subsequently funding and making its implementation possible. That gesture has given me and my fellow scouts the opportunity to impact the lives of thousands of young people and supported hundreds of households to feel much safer and protected during this period of a global pandemic.