Ghana is a country of 23 million people located in West Africa. Tamale, the largest urban centre in the north of the country is the base for Create Change’s operations in Northern Ghana.

The region around Tamale experiences a harsh arid climate for much of the year with only one rainy season that occurs between June and October. The low level of rain severely reduces agricultural output, and is largely responsible for the large wealth divide between northern and southern Ghana. In terms of religion in the north of Ghana almost 60% of the population are Muslim, 20% of the population is Christian, and 20% of the population adhere to traditional African beliefs. The high prevalence of Islam in the North, which allows for a polygamous family structure results in large numbers of children in each family. These large family sizes place a great strain on already meager supplies of food, water and other resources.

Subsistence agriculture forms the base of the rural economy of the north with primary crops such as yam, maize, cassava and rice often used for trade in the local town markets.

Regardless of the harsh conditions that people in Northern Ghana face, anyone who has traveled to the region will tell you that the people there are some of the friendliest and most generous you will ever find. If there is one thing that you can learn from a Northern Ghanaian: no matter how hard things get, life can still be filled with joy, if we try hard enough to find it.