𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

Francisca Avansi once sat at home in the Tandema community of the Upper East Region in Ghana—an unemployed SHS graduate with little hope and no income. 

Today, she stands as a powerful example of how one opportunity can spark a lifetime of change.

Thanks to the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Project, Francisca’s life has been completely transformed.

With training, resources, and unwavering determination, she is now a successful rice and vegetable farmer, a second-year nursing student, a mentor to others, and a community change agent.

“I was just at home doing nothing. I was farming, but not seriously,” she recalled. “But when I joined the HAPPY Project, everything changed. I became a serious farmer—and a big one.”

Through the support of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Mastercard Foundation, and Agri-Impact Limited, Francisca received hands-on training in agronomy, business management, savings groups, and gender transformation. 

She was provided with seeds, fertilizer, and expert guidance, helping her increase her yield from three bags per acre to over 20 bags—a transformation she calls “life-changing.”

The profits from her farm allowed her to pay over GH₵5,000 in school fees, enabling her to pursue a diploma in Public Health Nursing at the Navrongo Health Training College. She also purchased a tricycle (motor-king) for her husband, empowering him to launch a logistics services business. 

The couple, once unemployed and struggling, now save monthly and are building a better future together.

“Before, we had no vision,” she said. “But the gender training helped us plan. We started setting goals as a family. Now, we are saving, farming, and schooling—all because of the knowledge and support we received.”

But Francisca didn’t stop with her own transformation. As a Private Agricultural Service Provider (PASP), she began training other farmers in her community—many of whom are now replicating her success. “Some of them even harvest more than I do,” she said with pride.

She’s also become a powerful advocate for social change, walking from house to house with her local assemblyman, teaching families how to build dreams together using the “vision journey” and “gender tree” tools.

Her leadership helped establish two SILC (Savings and Internal Lending Communities) groups for women, and together, they secured land for dry-season vegetable farming. Over 26 women now grow and sell produce, improving family incomes and food security.

“My dream is for CRS and its partners to reach more communities. If this could happen for me, it can happen for others too,” she said.

Francisca’s story is one of resilience, growth, and community transformation. Through the HAPPY Project, a young woman once without direction has become a farmer, student, businesswoman, teacher, and beacon of hope.

Her journey proves that with the right support, determination, and vision, young people can not only change their own lives—but inspire change across entire communities.