OUR IMPACT
CHANGING THE CAUSES AND DRIVERS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
In partnership with Plan International Ghana and funding support from Global Affairs Canada under the Women’s Voice and Leadership Ghana (Flexible Response Funding Mechanism (FRFM-MAIN) program, Dream Africa has in the past 5years responded to the Causes and Drivers of Violence Against Women (VAW) by protecting women and girls from the negative impacts.
We have provided training to 2784 women about their rights and Violence Against Women (VAW) reporting mechanisms in the Volta region of Ghana. Trainings are facilitated by an external gender expert, and co-facilitated by personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and DOVVSU in charge of VAW/GBV. Trainings were organized in selected communities at each district level, and it covered gender equality and women’s human rights in order to reduce Gender Based Violence. Women have been trained on awareness, response; management and reporting mechanism.
The training topics included human rights, violence against women, pre-violence strategy, post-violence strategy, service providing institutions, reporting and documentation of the case, case follow-ups, advocacy, networking and campaign and the role of the mass media.
In addition, 60 selected volunteers from 5 district in the Volta region have been trained as Community Change Agents at the community level. These Change Agents facilitated culturally-sensitive community dialogues and information sessions with the public around the causes and consequences of GBV, strategies to tackle the problem and assistance for survivors. The community mobilizers also acted as resource persons for GBV survivors, providing referrals to service providers who could better provide support in cases of violence. The implementation of this activity has aided the demand for rights such as lands for farming and awareness on the negative consequences of violence.
OVER 250 CHILDREN RESCUED FROM CHILD LABOUR AND TRAFFICKING IN THE VOLTA REGION
In Ghana, approximately 21.8 percent (1.9 million) of children aged between five and 17 are engaged in child labour with 14.2 percent (1.2 million) of the children engaged in hazardous child labour as defined by the Law. Ghana has robust laws setting forth the rights of children and criminalizing trafficking, but enforcement of these laws is weak.
We have since 2014 rescued and rehabilitated over 200 children who were trapped in hazardous child labour on the Volta lake in Ghana. We continue to sensitize fishing communities along the Volta lake on the rights of children and most importantly stressing on child education as an investment in the future of their children.
Our Child Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre project seek to eliminate child labour, and to rescue children from the clutches of traffickers in the Volta region of Ghana. The project provides temporary shelter, medical care and rehabilitation for rescued children whiles they wait to be placed with foster families or be integrated back into their families or community.
Our programs are based on the theory of change aimed at creating a free country of child exploitation. The organization does not only help victims but also tackles the problem at its roots. The main strategies of our project will include Prevention, Provision, Promotion, Prosecution, Partnership and Participation.
Dream Africa is currently constructing ‘Child Rehabilitation Center’ to provide optimal care for children rescued from hazardous labour and trafficking as we work at getting them quality basic education, healthcare, shelter and nurture them to become useful citizens in the society.
Donated Laptop Computers to Rural Schools in the Volta Region
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is important in primary education in Africa because it enables kids to search for the information they need and to organize what they have found. The charity has provided computers, internet access facilities and educational activities on information communication technology in rural communities in the Volta region. Our target groups are beneficiaries who would otherwise be less able to access the equipment, resources and training.
In the past three (3) years, the organization has established computer laboratories in ten (10) selected rural schools and rural communities who have no access to computers and also assigned long term volunteer teachers to teach practical learning of ICT. It is the view of the board that this objective will reduce exclusion, improve education and increase participation in activities which many people in project communities would not otherwise have opportunity to access.
The organization has provided special training programs for over 200 local teachers on ICT applications and techniques for effective teaching and learning. Teachers were introduced to theories and concepts that can assist them to understand why certain things occur in the interaction between teacher and learner.
We believe that providing computers, internet access facilities and educational activities on ICT in rural communities in Africa will advance education for the benefit of the public. We need partners to help donate or collect fairly used computers to supply our targeted communities in Ghana.
Empowering Vulnerable Women and Teenage Mothers with Skills Training
With a vision to see young unemployed people live their lives with dignity, purpose and hope; Dream Africa creates opportunities for holistic development through three key areas: Education, Skills Development and Social Enterprise. DAVS mission is to provide impetus to entrepreneurship and bring a sense of self-confidence among the poor especially teenage mothers and vulnerable women.
We are focused on breaking the cycle of poverty through empowering vulnerable people especially women and children living in some of Ghana’s poorest communities. This program aims to identify, rehabilitate, and empower the most vulnerable women especially teenage mothers in the Volta region of Ghana. Beneficiaries are economically empowered through skills training and given opportunities through formal education, vocational training, and business start-up capitals.
We create an enabling environment, and economically empower teenage mothers and vulnerable women so that they can be able to support their children and break the cycle of poverty. After 6 years of successful entrepreneurship and vocational training program, we have been able to set up 630 beneficiaries with start-up capitals in small businesses including soap making, tailoring, hairdressing, bread baking and basketry. Through the sale of their products, the beneficiaries make some profits that offers a livelihood to them and their household.
70 Women and Adolescents trained in Reusable Sanitary Pad
Based on the gaps realized and challenges faced with the accessibility, use and disposal of sanitary towels; our feasible intervention is to upscale the sensitization and training of women and girls in key skills to make their own washable, reusable sanitary pads so they can have access to sustainable sanitary protection and good menstrual hygiene at their fingertips.
Dream Africa has trained 60 girls in 10 selected local schools in the Volta region to make their own affordable re-usable sanitary pads from natural and chemical-free materials. They were also charged to commit themselves to supporting other girls within the school or in their communities/other schools in collaboration with School Management.
Dream Africa has collaborated with community stakeholders to select 20 vulnerable women in the targeted communities to train them on how to make safe, washable, reusable sanitary pads so they can always have access to clean sanitary products, help protect the environment and also create a small income for themselves and their families by selling their extra products at the market. We look forward raising funds to scale up the project in other poor communities and provide women and girls with sewing machines and train them in how to use them to make washable, cloth sanitary pads.