ENIWEE Impact Story
ENIWEE Project Empowers NTD-Affected Persons with Start-Up Capital
SMAid International · Anesvad Foundation
ENIWEE Project Empowers NTD-Affected Persons And Support Group Members with Start-Up Capital and Business Materials
SMAid International, with the support of Anesvad Foundation has provided start-up capital and business materials to persons affected by skin neglected tropical diseases and support group members to help them put their newly acquired vocational skills to productive use.
Sustainable Missions Aid International (SMAid International) has taken a further step in its commitment to the economic empowerment of persons affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by distributing start-up capital and essential business materials to beneficiaries of its ENIWEE Project. The distribution, which took place from August 18, 2026 to August 26, 2026, targeted persons affected by skin NTDs and selected support group members who had demonstrated readiness to put their newly acquired vocational skills to productive use.
The ENIWEE Project, which stands for "Ending Skin-NTDs through Improved Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Economic Empowerment," is implemented by SMAid International with funding from the Anesvad Foundation, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and the Local Government (District and Municipal Assembly). The project seeks to reduce the prevalence of skin NTDs, enhance awareness and community engagement, improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and promote the social and economic inclusion of affected persons.
Approximately fifty-five beneficiaries across the five districts have received packages comprising essential materials (cash grants, basins, packaging bottles and two sets of liquid soap — soap base, thickener powder and liquid, powder and liquid booster, salt, preservatives, perfume and colour) to support them in establishing small-scale livelihood ventures. The gesture builds directly on a vocational training programme held from July 8, 2026 to July 30, 2026 during which the same group of beneficiaries and support group members were equipped with practical skills, including liquid soap-making and azuma blows, to serve as a sustainable source of income.
Speaking during the distribution exercise, SMAid International Country Programme Manager explained that the initiative was designed to bridge the gap between skills acquisition and actual business start-up, a transition that many beneficiaries would otherwise struggle to make without initial capital. He noted that the support package was intended to give beneficiaries the confidence and the resources required to begin generating income for themselves and their households, thereby reducing the socio-economic burden often associated with living with a skin NTD.
Mad. Asantewaa Georgina expressed profound gratitude for the gesture:
"SMAid and Anesvad had promised to support us with the essential materials and capital following the training, and true to their word, they fulfilled that promise. We are so grateful to them and do not have anything to say but to pray that God richly blesses them. We also promise to put the support into a productive use."
— Mad. Asantewaa Georgina, Beneficiary
Several beneficiaries described the support as timely and life-changing. Many had struggled to secure stable livelihoods prior to this support, a situation compounded by the stigma and physical limitations that frequently accompany skin NTDs. The provision of start-up capital, they noted, would enable them to begin trading and producing on a small scale, with the prospect of building sustainable livelihoods over time.
The distribution exercise forms part of SMAid International's broader strategy under the ENIWEE Project to move beyond awareness creation and treatment support towards holistic, dignity-based interventions that address the economic dimensions of skin NTDs. The organisation has indicated that it will continue to monitor the progress of beneficiaries in the coming months to assess the impact of the support provided and to identify further areas requiring assistance.
SMAid International expresses its appreciation to the Anesvad Foundation for its continued funding support on skin NTDs as well as to the Ghana Health Service and the Local Government (District and Municipal Assembly), for their collaboration. SMAid International noted that such partnerships remain central to the sustainability and success of the ENIWEE Project across its operational districts in the Bono and Upper West Regions.
