End Human Rights Abuses Against Alleged Witches

Dear Cherished Donor!

Season Greetings from Songtaba

It has been another interesting quarter and SONGTABA brings to it cherish donors update on our project to End violence Against Persons Accused of Witchcraft. During this quarter under review SONGTABA would like to share with readers some of its mile stone achievement over the quarter on Kalari, a reintegrated woman from the Kukuo camp.

Kalari, 92 years from Nakpali in the Zubzugu district of Northern part of Ghana who has been staying in the kukuo alleged witches camp for the past 27 years. She was accused by her son on the account that he saw the mother in his dream after she gave him groundnut to farm. This dream was interpreted to mean a threat to the boy’s life and so the  entire community members accused her for attempting to kill an innocent young boy. After several harassments, She had to run for her dear life and sought refuge at the kukuo alleged witches camp where she stayed until her reintegration in January 2022. The entire process which started in the last two quarters of 2021 saw Songtaba holding several dialogue meetings with family and community opinion leaders to reconsider their decision to accept the woman back because she is very old now and needs more family love and support than the dehumanizing conditions that she is living in.

She shares her experience at the camp: To day I am a very happy woman because I will be leaving this death trap I call a room at the cam. When it rains, I don’t sleep until the rain stop. I will also have enough time to rest because am very weak and can’t venture in to any profitable venture to earn an income for my livelihood. What really makes me happy about my reintegration is my grandchildren both old and young who I miss so much and I can’t wait to see them. In fact, feeding was very difficult for me because I could not make all three-square meals a day but all the suffering that I have gone through for the past 27 years will soon get a relief at home.

For me no body deserve to be here considering what we go through at the camp from scarcity of water, feeding, housing and even issues with our health. I hope and pray that, every woman will have an opportunity to be reintegrated.

I want to thank SONGTABA and their donors for facilitating my reintegration back to family, am most gratefully.