Over two hundred old women accused of witchcraft in the Northern Region are living in Gnani Alleged witches under deplorable condition as they lack food, Water and decent shelter.
The situation has worsened for these women since Ghana had its share of the global COVID-19 impart in Country a year ago. Every accused woman found at the Gnani Alleged witches camp leave at the benevolent support of the public donations to the camp.
The donation, which is based on occasions, is the only source of livelihood for these old women and Men accused of witchcraft. The accused witches leave in single room mud homes without light, nor proper health care when they are sick and the camp lack water. The old women have to travel far kilometers to search for firewood and water. There are few old women who are bedridden without support, as there are no means of transport at the camp to take them to the nearby health Centre. The neglect of these women is a source of worry to Tindana Alhassan the local priest who revealed that the announcement of death of an inmate is a source of joy to some family members who refuse to visit the relatives at the camp. He disclosed the only some relatives only visit the camp bodies of their deceased relatives for burial.
“Majority of the inmate here, no family relations visit them. Just a few daughters who are attached to their mother visit to support them, but we have over two hundred inmates here. Those in need of support when I call their relations they don’t visit them. They will promise but will never come, but when I tell them she is dead they hurry to the camp to have her buried’’ he disclosed.
He added, “these inmates sometimes after donation food is finish with them, how to feed them become a major problem to manage. Visit by well wish puts a lot of joy in their faces because they will have food. If we can get support for food monthly and a bike to carry those that are sick to the hospital it will save some of them. NGOs come but We need support to help transport the sick and bedridden women.” He said.
During the W3 Initiative team tour of the inmate’s home on the Mothersday, lady Naakoye who had come to visit the mother at the camp, used the occasion to fix the various cracks in the mum’s tent but told us she is not happy about the condition of the mother.
“My mother was accused of witchcraft, but when they chased her out of the village and was brought here, the Tindana said she does not have any witchcraft powers. But my people in the village said they will not accept her. So, knowing the truth about my mother, I am happy to visit her regularly to check on her health as well support her.”
However, during the mother day celebration on the 9th of May, women in Gnani alleged witches camp were not left out of the celebration, as NGOs and civilian society groups visited them with gifts.
The founder of Winnies Women World Initiative based in Kumasi, called for collaboration in the empowerment of the inmate at the camp through agriculture to end the cycle of poverty.
Winnifred Selby said, we are here to donate there’s items to the support the up keep of the alleged witches in this camp. I’m uncomfortable with their situation here. I will like to use this opportunity to call on the corporate Ghana and other philanthropists to come and assist our helpless forgetting mothers in this camp’’ he pleaded.
