Capacity Building for District Service Providers in Ekumfi

Renel Ghana Foundation, under the Gender Rights and Empowerment Project (GREP) and in partnership with Songtaba, with funding support from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, delivered a comprehensive capacity‑building training on survivor‑centred care for key service providers in Ekumfi District. The training strengthened practical skills for coordinated, compassionate responses to gender‑based violence and reinforced inter‑agency collaboration.

Purpose

• Enhance frontline capacity to provide trauma‑informed, survivor‑centred services.
• Improve coordination across health, protection, justice and social welfare actors for timely referrals and case management.
• Strengthen community reintegration pathways and psychosocial support for survivors.
• Standardise practice through shared tools, protocols and documentation.

Activities delivered

• Interactive sessions on survivor‑centred principles, trauma‑informed practice and ethical engagement.
• Practical exercises including role plays, case simulations and intake/referral mapping.
• Clinical and psychosocial modules covering immediate medical care, psychosocial first aid and follow‑up support.
• Protection and legal sessions on safety planning, protection orders and linkages to justice actors.
• Tools and templates introduction: standard intake form, referral directory and case documentation checklist.

Participants and roles

• Participants: district social welfare officers, DOVVSU officers, health clinicians, community protection volunteers, local NGO staff and district assembly representatives.
• Facilitators: Renel Ghana Foundation trainers, Songtaba technical advisors and guest resource persons from health, police and legal aid.
• Expected commitments: each agency to nominate a referral focal person, adopt the standard intake form and participate in monthly coordination meetings.

Outcomes and next steps

• Longer term: institutionalise standardised case management, strengthen one‑stop referral linkages and scale best practices across neighbouring districts.
• Immediate outcomes: draft district referral protocol produced; agency focal persons identified; participants completed practical case simulations.
• Short term: finalise and circulate the referral protocol; pilot the intake form in selected facilities; schedule monthly multi‑agency coordination meetings.
• Medium term: monitor referral completion and response times; run refresher trainings; integrate survivor‑centred modules into district induction for new staff.