german
frenchSponsors of the project:
Extension of a residential training school for young persons with physical disabilities in Eikwe
The education and integration of persons with disabilities is a crucial task in development cooperation. In the future, independent work will secure a permanent income and survival for them and their families. Without education and a job, most teenagers from poor families are forced into begging and prostitution to earn their living. Consequences of that are impoverishment and diseases, such as HIV/Aids and teenage pregnancies.
In the village of Eikwe-Nzema in the Western Region of Ghana, a small facility teenagers with physical disabilities has been developed under the direction of the local Catholic priest Msgr. John Adade. The teenagers, who are often marginalized in the society in Ghana just like in other developing countries, have been admitted into this day-facility. They receive guidance in manual skills, on the basis of which they are supposed to earn their living later on. The school was started by personal initiative and with a lot of enthusiasm. However, the endeavour demands more than what the founder's capabilities can provide for. This is why Msgr. John Adade, as the diocesan co-ordinator for persons with disabilities with the support of bishop John Martin Darko, approached aa/D for help in 2000. The aim is to extend and upgrade the facility to a professional training status with workshops and residential homes based on a sustainable strategy for the training of young persons with physical disabilities.
With the extension and expansion to a higher level training centre (including residential homes, workshops and the removal of all architectural barriers), the facility is supposed to adequately provide an education and training programmes that match students' talents and abilities. The aim is to increase the number of available training positions to 60-70 within the catchment area of the Western Region. Unfortunately, the diocese and the families involved lack financial and professional resources that are necessary for the further development of the training programme and the extension of the facility. Extensive programmes like this are only possible with the support of funds from abroad. The German Ministry for Development is covering three fourths of the construction costs. The foundation "Kinder brauchen Zukunft" ("Children need a future") of the trade group HIT, that has been supportive of the work of aa/D for some time now, bears the remaining expenses of 75.000 Euros.
With regard to the running costs, that cannot be borne by parents alone due to their poverty, we continue to kindly ask for your support.