In 2020, a 90-year-old woman, Madam Denteh, was publicly lynched to death in the Savannah region in Ghana after being accused of witchcraft. The video of the lynching went viral and attracted police and national security investigations, resulting in the arrest of some of the perpetrators. Like in many parts of the world, a belief in sorcery and witchcraft still exists in Ghana, and accusations of witchcraft are followed by social stigma and discrimination. While both men and women have been accused of witchcraft, the accused are disproportionately women. In some cases, they have been murdered and mobbed following allegations of witchcraft against them. This is the incredible story of communities in Ghana as active funders of human rights issues and using community philanthropy to challenge age-old stigmas. Follow “The Women Who Stood up for Witches in Northern Ghana” to read the full inspiring story as captured by Shift the Power.
Related projects
Information session on the Actions for Voice, Influence and Inclusive Development (AVID) Call for Partnerships
STAR Ghana Foundation wishes to invite all interested Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), citizens’ action groups, farmers’ and trade/livelihoods organisations and networks, coalitions, alliances and establishments to join an information session on the ‘call for partnerships’ under the AVID project. This information session seeks to address concerns, inquiries and clarifications that interested parties may have regarding the project and partnership.
The event will be held via Zoom on Thursday, 24th November at 10:30 am.
The meeting can be accessed through the link/details below.
Meeting ID: 847 6382 0599
Passcode: 532578
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84763820599?pwd=Tmk1L2plazl0OXFhWlAxcmVLaXdzdz09
The AVID project seeks to improve access to social services and public goods for underserved populations particularly, youth, women, persons with disabilities and deprived communities. Detailed information on the call can be accessed via
We look forward to your participation.
Thank You
APNAssembly2022: STAR-Ghana Foundation participates as Speaker in dual sessions on community philanthropy.
Building the African narrative and practice in local philanthropy has become imperative in pushing for harnessing philanthropy as an additional tool for development in Africa. This quest has brought together hundreds of delegates from Africa and other parts of the world in Uganda to share experiences, new knowledge and collectively reflect on finding concrete actions to unlock philanthropy’s potential in driving social and systemic change at the 2022 African Philanthropy Network Assembly.
As a member of APN, STAR-Ghana Foundation’s Head of Programmes, Eunice R Agbenyadzi and Manager responsible for Results & Learning, Frank Kwaku Amoateng will speak in sessions focused on ‘Fostering an enabling environment for domestic resource mobilization: policy & practice’ and ‘Leveraging Communities of Practice to protect civic space and gain public trust for enhanced community philanthropy’ respectively.
Head of Programmes at STAR-Ghana Foundation, Eunice R Agbenyadzi at the 2022 APN Assembly
Moderated by Stigmata Tenga of the Africa Philanthropy Network (APN), the ‘Fostering an enabling environment for domestic resource mobilization: policy & practice’ session provides a space for peer learning on effective strategies to influence governments to adopt laws and regulations that enable domestic philanthropic giving and creating favourable conditions to promote the power of philanthropic giving as a form of and driver of systems change. Additionally, it will showcase specific field examples of community resource mobilization and philanthropic giving, while exploring what could be a driving force.
For his part, Mr Amoateng is expected to contribute to a session on exploring the opportunities available for CSOs in utilizing communities of practice as a platform for learning and sharing while collaborating to enhance lobby and advocacy initiatives to protect civic space. Speakers will also delve into the role of CoPs in lobbying for a favourable operating environment- internally and externally- that promotes accountability (Institutional and community) to promote community philanthropy. The session will enhance the participants’ understanding of CoPs? how to create and adopt them as an alternation strategy to strengthen community-based ecosystems for improving the recognition of philanthropic practices and shifting the power closer to communities.
Frank Kwaku Amoateng, Results & Learning Manager-STAR-Ghana Foundation
Giving for Change
STAR-Ghana Foundation is implementing a Giving for Change project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Project among other objectives seeks to encourage, influence and develop enabling ecosystems for local philanthropy. The programme is designed to strengthen local ownership, buy-in and rights claiming, challenging the notion that development is something that is “done to” communities by external actors.
APN2022 Objectives
The objective of the 2022 APN Assembly is to provide a platform for members and other delegates from the continent and globally to actively engage with issues of agency facing African communities and how responsive are the African philanthropy practices, cultures and policies. Participants will use the space to celebrate ideas and share practical solutions of African generated and African owned philanthropy and make recommendations with concrete actions to unlock philanthropy’s potential in driving social and systemic change.
The Assembly’s Agenda
Both action and inspirational contexts will be combined into one; thus, positioning the 2022 Assembly into one that showcases durable examples of where and how Africans gives, and the African poor gives more! The identification of the Assembly agenda sessions is a co-creation of members of the networks, guided by the changes related to continent’s people & their institutions, policies and practices. The APN Assembly 2022 has been designed to offer participants a multi-dimensional and experiential approach, where each session provides an opportunity to connect with people, learn about the alternative financing mechanism for African challenges, talk about policies and fostering an enabling environment for philanthropy to thrive, and harness innovative solutions to catalyze the collective actions needed to transform the way development is done, and achieve systemic change.
Gender, Social Protection Minister designate pledges open-door policy and collaborations in the promotion of social and political rights of women and girls as STAR-Ghana Foundation launch GREP
Lariba Zuweira Abudu, Minister Designate for Children and Social Protection speaking at the event
Minister designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection has pledged to run an open-door policy and collaborate with stakeholders in the promotion of social and political rights of women and girls. Hon. Lariba Zuweira Abudu says government recognizes the need for more effort in the promotion of rights and empowerment for women and girls. According to the Minister, “my doors are always open for conversations to strengthen the effectiveness of our work. I look forward to engaging with you and the partners on the different aspects of the programme”. She was speaking at the official launch of STAR-Ghana Foundation’s Gender Rights and Empowerment Project (GREP) in Accra. “ I want to end by expressing the ministry’s gratitude to our long standing partners including STAR-Ghana Foundation, who have actively sort out to collaborate with the ministry and other government agencies to promoting rights of citizens, particularly women and girls rights” the minister designate added.
Team Leader for Human Development at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Enyonam Azumah says “the project is consistent with the second priority of UK’s international development strategy to provide women and girls with the space they need to succeed by educating girls, empowering women and ending violence against women and girls”. She maintains, “the UK believes in the significant roles that civil society can play in fostering gender equality in women and girls empowerment”
Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu (2nd from left), Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation, assisted by Lariba Zuweira Abudu (2nd from right) to officially unveil GREP
For his part, Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation, Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu in his welcome address reemphasized how the GREP provides the opportunity to strengthen partnerships and work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals. “By itself, GREP would not be able to do much or everything, but we think that in partnership with other agencies and stakeholders, we would be able to make significant difference through coordinating, sharing lessons, and working together” Alhaji Tanko argues.
“By itself, GREP would not be able to do much or everything, but we think that in partnership with other agencies and stakeholders, we would be able to make significant difference through coordinating, sharing lessons, and working together”
Several key stakeholders including Parliament, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service were present to share solidarity messages at the launch. Other actors who participated are Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice(CHRAJ), DOVVSU, GREP civil society partners, the media and the like.
Some participants at the launch
About GREP
Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme (GREP) is a STAR-Ghana Foundation project funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It seeks to increase the effectiveness of civil society advocacy and influence for women and girls’ political and social rights, particularly rights to inclusive and quality social services and participation in public governance at the national and sub-national levels. The overall goal of GREP is to contribute to increased access to rights and quality social services for women and girls. The programme covers 6 regions, including the 3 regions in northern Ghana, Central, Eastern and Volta regions. GREP is primarily targeted at Promoting women and girls’ access to education and health services, Preventing, and responding to gender-based violence and Supporting women’s political participation among other objectives.