11/03/08
This afternoon, Kenz and I went with Callie to visit an non-governmental organization (NGO) called CAS (Catholic Action for Street Children). It was so inspiring, after being somewhat letdown by a few NGOs and other non-profit organizations in Ghana. It is run by a Catholic missionary from Holland, who founded the ministry in Ghana 16 years ago, after doing missions in northern Ghana for 20 years. It is his passion to work with these kids; he has put his heart into his job and plans on doing so for the rest of his life.
Today, the NGO has 53 staff members and a nice facility, called the House of Refuge. The House of Refuge is essentially a place where street children can go (from morning until 7pm) to simply just "be children" (what a wonderful mission). It is a safe place that enables them to escape the streets and which puts them into an learning environment which stimulates their minds and fosters growth. We toured the facility which consists of: front desk (where all of the children are registered; approximately 5,000 out of the 21,000 street children have been registered in their database), in-door entertainment room (with large speakers for music and a TV to watch videos), clinic (where a Nurse and Nurse's assistant administer First Aid), administrative office, classroom (where a literacy program is taught every morning, and where life skills and health education classes are taught each afternoon), a room for dressmaking and kente cloth weaving, a kitchen, a woodworking/carving station room, a candle making area, a library, a computer lab (with available Internet and educational games), a ceramics department, and a handicraft shop. Outside, you can find a ping-pong table, a Foosball table, bowling pins, and a basketball court.
I was so impressed to see that CAS had posted and clearly outlined their goals on a bulletin board in the main entrance way. CAS's overall goal is to protect and improve the rights and lives of street children. Their short-term goal is to help the street children by returning their dignity and to develop into respectful citizens in society. Their long-term goal is to educate the children in such a manner that they can find suitable employment and build of their future lives.
The CAS Mission:
-To interact with street children so that they can be understood and supported
-To assist those children who choose to get off the streets to maintain a stable livelihood
-To create general awareness about the plight of street children 0-18 years old, who sleep rough rough an work in the streets of Accra, Tema, and other town in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana
Activities and work of CAS:
Street children follow 5 stages at CAS before leaving the streets:
1. Street children meet field workers in the street and they visit mini-refuges (to spread awareness of CAS)
2. The children visit the House of Refuge and take part in literacy and demonstration classes.
3. The children are accomodated at Hopeland Training Center and take part in all activities at the center, such as education, farming, sewing, etc.
4. The children go back to school or learn trades at workshops. CAS sponsors them for 3 years.
5. The children are assisted in finding a job or setting up their own businesses (settlement).
At the House of Refuge, many trades are shown and demonstrated for the children to learn (such as weaving, sewing, tie & dye, ceramics, wood-carving, and catering). The children also have opportunities to draw, color, and paint. At Hopeland Training Center, the children are able to participate in workshops for candle-making and ceramics.
CAS aims to give street children the chance to see and try out different trades, with the goal of ultimately enabling a child to be self-sufficient by doing his or her preferred trade as a means of personal income. The trades are also beneficial to the children in that they encourage the children to go to schools or workshops for further training.
After talking with the missionary who founded CAS, Brother Jos van Dinther, I learned that it costs approximately 1,160 Euros per child, per year, to fund (which includes feeding, accommodations, education in a particular trade, and a trade-specific tool-kit which enables the child to conduct his or her trade upon leaving). He said that although some people think that is an expensive price to pay, that he thinks it is rather a "cheap price to pay for the long-term investment in the lives of these street children." "When they finish," he continued, "they are equipped with the tools they need to start work so they can be self-sufficient." I completely agree--what a wonderful investment into the lives of these deserving children.
Most of the funding CAS receives comes from European donors (including his personal friends and family, Catholic churches, etc.). "Donor support is getting to be less and less, with the state of the economy, so we are scaling down," he said.
When asking him if he saw an impact because of CAS, he said, "Of course, although the impact is very difficult to measure. It is a very slow process, but many leave the streets and build up a new life...you see many people selling handicrafts that you don't even know were ex-street children."
Above (top) is a photo of CAS's handicraft shop, which sells crafts and products made by the street children. The crafts are also sold at bazaars, and the profits are used to maintain and improve the in-house workshops.
Brother Jos van Dinther is truly living Gandhi's challenge to us all to "be the change you want to see in the world."
For more information, visit www.btinternet.com/~CAS/
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