Work has begun on roads leading to Nyitavuta, a farming community in the Akatsi North District, six months after a Joy news documentary “Jungle Poor” highlighted the plight of residents.

Nyitavuta is a deprived community that lacks virtually all basic amenities. No clean sources of drinking water, no electricity, no health post, no toilet facilities, mud houses, no road network, among others.

The only school in the community is only up to primary six. Pupils have to trek over 90 minutes each day to attend Junior High School in the nearest community. The community sits in bushes. There are no roads leading to Nyitavuta so commercial vehicles don’t go there. And no one has a private vehicle.

The closest road is about 9km away. This, combined with the absence of a health facility is endangering the lives of pregnant women there.

“Because of the bad roads, vehicles do not come here…I have to walk very far before I take car to the hospital so I am suffering…sometimes when I walk like that my waist and all my body will be paining me…so they have to do something about the road for us,” pregnant Doris Bayire told Joy News last October.

Now, relief is on the way as government has begun work to fix roads in the community.

Under the Ghana Social Opportunities Projects (GSOP) project, a 7km feeder road that leads to the community is under construction from the Yevi Junction to Kpohe. The project had been in the pipeline for more than one year.

Volta Regional Minister Hellen Ntoso recently paid a working visit to inspect the progress of roads.

“The other side from Nyitavuta to Agormoh (2 km stretch) has been awarded to the contractor… We are working on it,” District Chief Executive James Gunu told Joy news. The minister also commissioned a class room block in a nearby community, Ave Afiadenyigba.

James Gunu tells Joy news the community is also getting support to fix problems with other basic amenities in Nyitavuta.

“Contractors from the rural electrification program have visited the community twice and soon they will be connected… Rotary Club - Ho Chapter has also done visibility studies to drill boreholes for the community….they told me that they watched a documentary on Joy News, so as a follow-up, they came to see how they can help the community,” Mr. Gunu explained.

He added a US-based NGO, Seven Hills, has also moved in to empower the residents in alternative sources of livelihood. More than 50 residents have been trained in bee keeping and how to produce pomade, honey and cough mixture from the honey.

The construction of a three-unit classroom block for the Nyitavuta JHS has also begun in the community.

“I can say on authority that after the last documentary, a lot has changed and Nyitavuta is a blessed community,” Mr. Gunu added.