Ghana

Our plan in Ghana

Plan is working at the grassroots level in Ghana to empower communities to bring real and lasting change, so that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Plan has worked in Ghana since 1992, with programs in over 250 communities in the central (Bawjiase and Mankessim), eastern (Asesewa) and upper west (Tumu and Wa) regions which aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Lack of child participation in schools
• Low income levels
• Health-related issues due to poor access to health services and facilities
• Limited awareness of child rights

Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Education

Poverty, a lack of resources and facilities in Ghana has resulted in poor quality education for children and waning attendance.  Plan assists Ghana’s pre-school and general educational facilities through community involvement and ownership of educational programs, improved teacher quality and provision of scholarships for needy children.

Children and women’s healthcare

Plan assists promoting access, prevention, management and awareness programs for health-related issues affecting children and women in Ghana, such as malaria, immunisation, HIV and AIDS, respiratory infections, young and adolescent pregnancies and diarrhoea.  Plan Ghana also assists to facilitate development of health services and facilities and encourages community management.

Food security

Families reliant on income from farming are vulnerable to poor weather and resulting harvest losses.  Plan Ghana facilitates seasonal water provision and farming education for these families to increase yearly food security.

Child rights

In some areas, Ghana experiences very low or lack of awareness of children’s rights.  Plan Ghana assists promotion of child rights awareness programs and supports child social services in areas such as poverty, violence against children, child labour, children with disabilities, orphaned and vulnerable children.

Country Facts

Country	Ghana	Australia
Flag
Population	21.6 Million	19.9 Million
Language	English	English
Capital	Accra	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	409	$29,000
Life expectancy	57	80.3
Access to safe drinking water	75%	100%
Literacy	57.9%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006