Website:
http://www.friendsfoundation-ghana.com/
Introduction
The Friends Foundation, a local NGO in Ghana, was the reason for the establishment of The Dreams in Africa Foundation. Noor van Hout, the founder of the foundation, lived and worked for a year at Friends Home in Klikor-Agbozume, a rural area in the southeast of Ghana.
Background
The Friends Foundation was founded in 1993 and is led by a Ghanaian project manager. With the help of his wife and some local employees, they run a school and provide support to vulnerable, needy children and their families. If the parents are unable to care for the child because of reasons such as the death of the parent(s), child labor, neglect, abuse, etc., they can also stay in the Friends Home. In the meantime, many children have been returned to their families through the “Care Reform Initiative” of the Ghanaian government in collaboration with Unicef. Friends Home supports several families in poverty with the ‘family-based-care’ project to ensure that the children in the family have their basic needs and education met. El Shaddai is the primary school and junior high school of Friends Home, where almost 600 children from Klikor and neighboring rural villages receive education.
Projects
The Friends Foundation has 3 projects to become more self-sufficient and independent:
– the Farm; Crops (corn, cassava, beans, peanuts and vegetables) are grown on 8 different pieces of land, which provide the house with its own food and income. In addition, firewood is also an important product for cooking;
– Kentey weaving; children who want to learn the most traditionally practiced trade of the Volta Region. Weaving fine silk into traditional, luxurious fabrics that can be sold on the local market
– The cafeteria; at home they make treats and meals. The children can buy these at school during the break.