In January of 2015 I took a 4 month sabbatical in Ghana, Africa with hopes of coming away with a clear understanding of how I should focus my efforts in this country. My trip was extremely successful, for more details please see my blog – Sabbatical Success. I returned again in the fall of 2015 to follow up on the things I was unable to do earlier in the year.

The following is a summary of goals and objectives that have come as a result of the exploration work in 2015: 

 

MISSION STATEMENT:

To provide Ghanaian children with physical disabilities multidisciplinary supports needed to become fully contributing members of society. To work with child, family and community to create lasting change.

 

In Ghana, living with a physical disability can be further complicated by poverty, lack of resources, misconceptions about disabilities being related to spiritual sickness or a curse, and the belief that if you are disabled you can’t be a contributing member of society. I saw so many children, with such promise, who will never have an opportunity to thrive. Ignorance towards disabilities is in no way a generalization of Ghanaians; in fact I have met some of the most selfless, giving and forward thinking people in Ghana who have devoted their lives to improving the quality of life for others through access and inclusion. These are the people I am excited to align myself with, work with and learn from.

 

UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS:

Why I feel qualified to undertake this project is in large part due to my own personal experiences. With vivid memories of my own childhood, I know firsthand what it’s like dealing broken bones, surgeries, therapy and recovery. Even in my own sheltered and secure first world country this was terrifying at times. I know what it means to have access to healthcare and full integration into society. As a child, I was fully dependent on the care of others but as I got older I attended public school, went to college, got a job, a drivers licence and bought a home.  I have never had to rely on anyone to take care of me. I won the geographical lottery of being born in Canada, something I have never taken for granted. To see others in an almost identical situation to my own but with no options available to them is heartbreaking because I know the potential. The reality is, had I been born in Ghana, with my special needs not met, I likely would not have survived.

 

I also have an extensive history in Ghana and I have been making annual trips since 2007, traveling both personally and as one of the founders of a registered Canadian charity called All for Humanity (AFH), established in 2008. AFH is a grassroots organization and has done work in both Ghana and Colombia. My contribution is very hands-on with personal involvement in all projects based in Ghana. Despite having no previous skillsets in this field, and the enormous learning curve that comes with that, we have had significant accomplishments over the years. Some of the projects and responsibilities include:

 

-fundraising

-creating, organizing & executing fundraising events

-recruiting & managing volunteers

- developing & maintaining donor relations

            -developing & implementing a strategies for corporate support

            -writing &presenting funding proposals

-developing & implementing Clean Water Workshops

-development & execution of deworming programs in orphanages

-collaborating & working with other organizations

-providing healthcare to children

-monitoring income & expenditures and maintaining registrations

-marketing and PR 

-collection & distribution of:

            -basic necessities

            -school supplies

            -Special needs supplies for a school for the visually impaired

            -medical supplies to the burn unit at  Korle Bu teaching hospital

            -books and games to the Kathy Knowles Library

-educational & art projects with students

 

I have gained a wealth of experiences, knowledge and contacts resulting from this work giving me a real advantage as I develop this concept into a program. It has really allowed me to narrow my focus and establish my strengths.

 

For more information please see my bio and journal page where I will do regular updates, share stories and track my progress.

 

SCOPE:         

Target Group:

Children with physical disabilities under the age 18. Focus on school age children.

Area of interest:

Volta Region for the pilot project.

Definition:

A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina.    

 

Issues to address: Childs needs, Family Support, Community Commitment and Inclusive Education

 

CHILD'S NEEDS:      

Goal: Provide access to all supports necessary for a disabled child to thrive physically and emotionally.

Starting point: To identify and select 2 families with physically disabled children.   

 

FAMILY SUPPORT:

Goal: To provide supports to the caregivers (typically women/mothers).

Goal: Help mothers feel competent and supported.

Starting point: Survey to identify the areas of greatest needs.          

                       

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT:          

Goal: For community to adopt and practice the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Starting point: Provide supports to promote and educate the community on the basic tenets of the UN convention specific to Article 7, Children w Disabilities.       

 

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION:  

Goal: To make disability awareness part of the national curriculum.

Goal: Educate able bodied children on disabilities and inclusion at a community level.

Starting point: Have a successful disabled adult go into the classroom and speak to the children ideally prior to a new disabled student joining the class.   

 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

On July 31, 2012 Ghana ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), becoming the 199th country to do so.

 

General principles:

Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities

Article 7 - Children with disabilities:

1.         States Parties shall take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children.

2.         In all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.

3.         States Parties shall ensure that children with disabilities have the right to express their views freely on all matters affecting them, their views being given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity, on an equal basis with other children, and to be provided with disability and age-appropriate assistance to realize that right.

 

On this day in which we remind ourselves of the situation of persons with disabilities around the globe, it is important, first of all, to resist the temptation to think in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Instead we must remind ourselves that disability is part of the human condition: all of us either are or will become disabled to one degree or another during the course of our lives.

~WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan’s

message on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2014

 

 

LINKS:

Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD)

 

Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD)

 

Mission:

GSPD is the national organization which promotes and protects the welfare of Persons with Physical Disabilities (PWPDs) through advocacy, awareness raising, mobilization and livelihood support to ensure equal rights and full inclusion at all levels of society.