By Samuel Afram, Team Leader

The Bonsaaso cluster faces a unique set of development challenges that have informed our team’s strategy. After an initial assessment, improving upon inadequate schools, constructing and rehabilitating health clinics and gaining access to clean water were among the key priorities that the Millennium Villages project identified. Six out of ten communities had primary schools, but none of the schools had qualified teachers. There had been no functional health facility in the village and residents had to travel up to 40 km to obtain health services. Water was limited in both quality and quantity.

Strengthening local agriculture to feed the population was also a major priority. Most of the fertile lands which were closer to the communities had been used for cash crops such as cocoa, pushing food crop production to more distant lands. Where local farms were active, labor was scarce because most of the able-bodied youth of the area were drawn to work at illegal gold mining sites. Ultimately, the cluster also had limited market access and income opportunities due to travel on dirt roads that were carved by gold mining and lumber companies years ago and had not been properly maintained.

The Bonsaaso cluster management continues to strengthen ties with the local and national government in order to implement infrastructure projects and connect residents with local markets. In addition, due to the heavy reliance on cash crops, the subsidization of staple crops has not proven as pertinent as in other clusters. The project is therefore placing greater emphasis on improving the quality of cash crops and on connecting producers to local, regional and international markets.