THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN PROVIDING SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR THE AGED IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

The study examines the role of civil society organizations in providing social protection for the aged in the Northern region. The main instruments used in the collection of primary data were questionnaires, interview guides and observation, while secondary data were sourced from the internet, articles and published thesis. Data from the field was summarized in frequencies and percentages and presented in tables, charts and concept maps. The study revealed that the role of civil society organizations in the provision of social protection in the Northern region is influenced by their orientation and understanding of social protection. The study further revealed that non - governmental organizations and faith- based organizations had provided social protection measures in the areas of livelihood empowerment, agriculture and food security predominantly in rural areas of which the aged benefited, even though, sometimes not considered primary targets. There was therefore considerable improvement in the availability of food especially in rural areas. Little provision however was made in the areas of health and advocacy. And hence their well- being with regards to the two areas experienced no improvement. Even though the interventions in agriculture and livelihood engagement had considerable impact in reducing aged poverty and deprivation, poor management of government sectorial policies and soaring economic hardship were considered detrimental to the full impact of civil society organizations interventions on their well-being. The study also revealed that civil society organizations face a major challenge of funding, poor cooperation from government official and the difficulty in greatly influencing policy. The study recommends three factors to improving social protection for the aged; Government's commitment, civil society organizations advocacy strategies and the use of participatory approaches to addressing their needs.