In 2004, Ghana introduced a system of national health insurance called the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Thus far, the system has greatly helped the population. Health officials note that patients present to the clinics and hospital at an earlier stage in their illness making the treatment more likely to succeed.

Water and Sanitation / There is no running water in Humjibre. People get their water either from the two operating boreholes or from the well. The boreholes require manpower to pump water out of the underlying aquifer and it is a task that is normally fulfilled by the girls in a household. This adds to their already arduous list of chores and detracts from their time spent studying. The well is a faithful water source which first attracted settlers to the area (see History section). It is protected by a number of taboos and has never yet been known to run dry.

Humjibre and the surrounding communities suffer from a lack of available pit latrines. Diseases such as cholera are spread by the existence of a number of public areas used for disposing of fecal matter. Schools and public areas have inadequate or non-existent toilet facilities.

Income Generation / The population’s main source of income comes from their small-scale farms where they produce cocoa, the main cash crop of Ghana. Gold and bauxite are also mined in the district. Timber is a major source of income in neighboring districts.

Although cocoa is the main source of income, most people in Humjibre must find alternative livelihood strategies to get them through the period between harvests. Like people all over the world, people in Humjibre work hard to make ends meet and some small businesses include household soap production, home brewing, baking, shoemaking and repairs, hairdressing, seamstressing etc. Despite this, poverty, as defined by the UN as living on less than $1 per day, is prevalent.

Housing / Most of the houses in the district are made using mud bricks that are then dried in the sun. However, this practice is gradually being superseded by the use of cement and sand to make blocks which are then used for construction. Although thatch is the traditional form of roofing, more and more houses are constructed with aluminum sheeting to keep the sun and rain off. The typical household dwelling will have a courtyard where communal activities such as eating and preparing food are conducted, with a number of rooms facing inwards that house generations of immediate and often distant family members.