Through our partnership, we develop participatory programs that build a community's ability to create and manage sustainable improvements. We help community members gain the skills needed to think about and manage workable solutions for their problems, themselves.

All CCFC projects are planned for and budgeted annually. The Country Office plays an oversight role and assists partner organizations to build and strengthen their capacities by providing direction, guidance and advice. It also plays a role in monitoring the project activities and assisting the partners in evaluating the impact of their programs.

• Number of partners: 5
• Number of programs: 8
• Number of communities helped: 68

Self Sustainability

Our experience in Ghana has shown that our efforts are multiplied and long lasting if we help others develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to reproduce the projects we help them start.

It is more sustainable and lasting to teach, encourage, and train people to do things for themselves. If a community invests in a project physically, emotionally and economically, they are more likely to appreciate and value it. Having local perspective and knowledge of the community incorporated into the process means that it is more likely to be culturally appropriate.

We help local communities in Ghana to identify their needs, and then work with them to see what resources are available locally. As is often the case, there may be a lot of manpower in the communities we assist, but few materials and required skill sets. CCFC's approach is to allocate responsibility to the community for providing the land and labour, and we fund the materials.

Successes:

• Proposal-writing workshop organized for partner staff.
• 673 parents and teachers introduced to Early Childhood Development to properly give their children a good foundation for their physical and mental development.
• Networking and lobbying workshop organized for parents of sponsored children and community leaders.
• 40 program staff, animators and teachers trained on taking anthropometric data for programs, staff for data collection for CCFC six years Strategic Plan.

Micro-Enterprise Development

To create a long-term cycle of self-reliance, families need sustainable ways to generate income. Initiatives like Micro-Enterprise Development (MED) provide lasting solutions to help the "poorest of the poor" learn to provide for themselves and jump-start the economy of their community.

MED programs encourage community members to work with Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) and our local partners to develop new marketable job skills. Community members purchase the materials they need to start and grow their income and reinvest back into their small businesses.

To be eligible, each MED recipient must join a self-help group to act as each other's guarantors. If one member does not pay, then the others are responsible for repayment. This structure has been shown to greatly limit default of MED loans and presents a highly successful repayment rate of over 90%.

The MED programs in Ghana are all community based. This program is designed to provide training in micro-enterprise skills and credit loans for four CCFC project partners and their communities. In 1998, CCFC Ghana established two pilot programs with our partners Tuma Kavi and Markaz with 180 women. Based on the success of these two pilot programs, two other partners, Baptist and AGREDS agreed to start MED programs in 2003.

Successes:

• 2,180 clients (in 436 solidarity groups of five) have each received loans ranging from $40 to $250 (CDN) to start and expand income generating activities.
• 436 groups trained in business development, credit management and other developmental issues.
• Loan recovery rate from clients ranged from 98% to 100%.
• Eight Community Savings and Credit Organizations operating their own Savings and Credit Schemes in Tuma Kavi and Baptist Programs.

Education

CCFC and our partners in Ghana are committed to providing Ghanaian children with the education they need to become productive members of the community. Education for children means access to more opportunities, better paying jobs and increased literacy rates in communities. With the help of our trusted local partners, CCFC Ghana raises community awareness about the importance of educating children and strengthening the capacities of children, parents, and teachers in order to maintain educational programs.

In addition to encouraging school-based programs, CCFC Ghana works with community members and families to develop solutions to obstacles standing in the way of basic education for children like the lack of classroom facilities, lack of teachers, lack of school supplies, the inability of parents to support their children in school and gender inequality.

Successes:

• 7,500 children in 42 project schools supplied with exercise books, notebooks, storybooks and other school materials every academic year.
• 12 three-classroom facilities with offices and stores constructed.
• Two schools, with six-classrooms and an office, store and library.
• 32 schools provided with teachers, tables and dual desks.
• Literacy classes organized in 22 communities.

Water and Sanitation

Investing in safe drinking water and sanitation means CCFC can reduce disease and sickness, as well as the large amount of time it takes to find water for cooking and cleaning- time that can be spent on caring for children.

Children, parents and community members are educated about proper hygiene, latrine building, well maintenance, how to protect themselves and their families against disease and how to manage water resources efficiently, through widespread training and skill building.

In its effort to improve the quality of life in communities, CCFC works on conserving natural resources like water and providing drinking water. Constructing sanitary latrines, harvesting rain water, management of coastal resources and creating awareness about sanitation are the areas in which CCFC focuses.

Successes:

• 30 hand-dug wells created to serve 10,000 people.
• One dam with filtration galleries constructed for about 2,500 people.
• 1,850 families have pipe borne water extended to them to serve their water needs.
• Eight latrines constructed for six schools.
• Five latrines constructed for four communities.
• 11 urinal pits constructed for eight schools.

Health and Nutrition

Investing in health and nutrition programs means better health for families and children long before they are born. Healthy children mean a healthy and sustainable workforce.

Health and Nutrition programs run by CCFC are designed to reduce malnutrition and strengthen children's bodies and their minds. We focus on prenatal and natal care and medical treatment for children, as well as HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Malnutrition sometimes stems from a lack of knowledge, not a lack of food. That is why nutrition education is a major focus of our programs. We help teach families about proper nutrition and the foods children need in order to grow up healthy. By working with parents and educating communities, we promote the importance of good nutrition and explore ways to increase food availability.

Successes:

• Every six months health and nutrition assessments are conducted on 8,400 enrolled children.
• 1,420 children are given one meal a day when in school.
• 520 mothers trained to prepare nutritious meals with locally available foods.
• 48 First Aid Workers trained in 26 schools.
• Provision of transport, medicines, beds and hospital equipment to health centers, clinics and hospitals that provide treatment to people in our project areas.
• Integrated malaria prevention initiative involving anti-malaria drug administration, spraying with residual spray in 38 project communities.
• Assisting needy families to pay the medical bills of their children and other family members.
• Training for 192 children in 32 HIV/AIDS school clubs and their parents trained on HIV/AIDS awareness and behaviour change communication.
• Regular education on preventable diseases (HIV/AIDS, other STDs, waterborne and sanitation related) to 47 target communities.