Welcome to Biyoom e.V.!

In collaboration with communities in the Saboba district, the Saboba Youth Parliament and the Saboba Youth Center have planted a total of 15,000 cashew, teak and mahogany trees since the summer of 2022. This follows a resolution of the Youth Parliament in which the Parliament decided to launch a local project for protecting the climate.

We supported the planting with a fundraising campaign in Germany. The original target of 1,000 trees was far exceeded thanks to the enthusiastic response of the community members. Everyone, young and old, lent a hand with the planting!

In the savannah around Saboba, the tree population has declined because the growing population is cutting down more and more trees to obtain firewood. However, these trees hardly grow back, since bush fires in the dry season often destroy young trees. A coordinated campaign is therefore needed for reforestation. The Saboba Youth Center has taken care of the logistics and the training of the community members, but the care of the seedlings and the creation of firebreaks is the responsibility of the inhabitants of the villages where the trees were planted.

The Youth Parliament is a concept developed by SYC itself. A group of youth and young adults meet regularly and organize parliamentary debates that strictly follow the procedure of a debate in the Ghanaian parliament in Accra. The topics of debate are issues that directly affect young people in Saboba.  At the end of a meeting, a final declaration is voted on. After the session, SYC and the leaders of the Youth Parliament forward the final declaration to the authorities responsible for the issue and lobby for the resolution. For example, following a debate on the condition of the roads in the Saboba district, a poorly constructed road that was often flooded during the rainy season was repaired.

In 2022, SYC also launched the Children's Parliament, which follows a similar concept but is aimed at somewhat younger participants. Members of the Youth Parliament explain to the children how a parliament works and the children organize their first debates themselves.

These activities are intended to contribute to a better understanding of democratic processes and give young people a political voice.

The savings groups set up and supervised by SYC enable villagers who do not have a bank account to save together. In this way, the families involved also secure each other.

The majority of the inhabitants in the Saboba district live from subsistence farming. Many of them have no savings and are forced to take out loans under unfavorable conditions when unexpected expenses arise. This is why SYC has set up so-called Village Savings and Loans Associations. These VSLA groups consist of 20-30 families who meet weekly to save money. Each week, money can be deposited into the common fund, which is kept in a secure metal box.

Group members can take out loans from the group's savings, the terms of which are determined by the group itself. These loans can be used to start their own business, pay school fees for their children or buy food in times of need. Participants report that this has enabled them to make purchases that would have been difficult without the savings groups. In addition, they are better protected against unforeseen situations such as illness or accidents, which mean additional expenses.

At the end of the year, the participants receive their saved money back together with their share of the profit generated by the interest on the loans. The SYC supports communities in setting up new savings groups and accompanies the first meetings.