german
frenchAdvice and Assistance for Parents of Handicapped Children
Bringing up an ill or handicapped child weighs heavily on a family living in a Ghanaian village. Most of the families live on their field crops and on what they can sell on the local market. The next hospital is often far away. Journeys there and medical treatment cost cash which has to be paid in advance. Health insurance or social welfare do not exist in this country. Where could concerned parents find help, advice, and answers to their questions?
In the whole of Ghana there had not been any early support center for handicapped children or those at risk, when in 2002 "africa action/Deutschland e.V.", aa/D, in connection with Care & Concern Action Group, CCAG - a local self help group acting as responsible body - began to establish one. This has been supported by the Carol Singers Action of the Missionary Childhood (Sternsingeraktion des Kindermissionswerks) and the German Catholic Association of the Blind (Deutsches Katholisches Blindenwerk). In this country, the welfare system for handicapped people and parents of children with developmental disorders or handicaps is only poorly developed. Only a few of these children go to kindergarten or special schools. With early support in time, much more of them could be integrated into the educational system and later on contribute to their costs of living. Thus, the strain on the families could be diminished.
Most of the families are too poor to pay the childrens' journeys to treatments and therapies. They cannot afford all on their own the costs of operations, stays in an orthopaedy clinic, and having measures taken for aids such as artificial limbs, hearing aids, reading glasses, etc. Through our Welfare Fund we support people in need. Additional donations are needed for salaries of therapists, the purchase of special teaching aids, toys, and aids for handicapped persons, as well as for the maintenance of a small van.
Annual financial requirements:
- Additional material for therapies and aids for handicapped persons: $ 1.500
- Maintenance of the van: $ 3.000
We look forward to letting you have more information about this project. Please visit their homepage: www.freewebs.com/ccagghana/index.htm