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Operation Hand in Hand
Photo of the week
Since 1992, the Hand in Hand Community (also called the P.C.C./Peace of Christ Community) has offered a shelter to handicapped and abandoned children in the Ghanaian town Nkoranza. In 2008 the project houses over forty children and young adults permanently and provides work for another twenty youngsters from town and surrounding villages. The community was founded by three Ghanaians and a Ghanaian-Dutch doctor, Ineke Bosman.
The Hand in Hand Community has been constructed as a small village. Two or three children live together with a caregiver. They live as a small family within the larger PCC/Hand in Hand Community. Every small family lives in its own cottage. These small houses are laid out in a circle around a centrally located place that is used for games, exercises, music making, partying, dancing, swimming and of course, eating together!
The children come from different, mostly unknown, places and backgrounds. 'Peace', for example, an over-active little boy, was found in 2000 near a Ghanaian radio station, called Peace FM, after which he is named. Nothing else is known of him. Peace is now less agitated and a pleasure to live with. Five children: Ahmed, Moses, Paa Yaw, Aron and Kojo have cerebral palsy. They have trouble with talking, walking and fine coordination. Generally their intelligence has not been affected. Kojo, the oldest, was abandoned along the roadside, when he was 4 years old. He still remembers this event. In 2001 he underwent orthopedic surgery and ever since his mobility has improved immensely. Every day these and other children receive physiotherapy and do active exercises. Paa Yaw has taught himself to get around in his wheelchair which makes him, of course, a lot more independent and therefore happier. On top of that he now has a small ‘speech-computer’ wherever he goes. Touching the right key will produce a sentence like ‘Good Morning. How are you?” or ‘I would like to eat!’
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James, Ahmed, Kwabena, Wumpini, Ineke, Joyce, PaaYaw, Moses, Lisa, Amma, Emanuel and Yaw Balloon.(photo 2005) |
Amma was we think about three years old when we found her and had the weight of a six month old baby. This year she turns twelve but she still is a minitiature, much too small for her age. However she is extremely charming and affectionate, cheerful and happy and she loves to dance. In recent years so many others have come. Abena, Lazarus, Afia, Mariella, Piedu, Wumpini, Dela, Ahmed, Pakor, Joyce, Lisa, Emmanuella, Aron, Michael, Adyoa, Kwabena,Regina, Joshua, Emanuel, Joseph, Kwaku, Kojo Patrick, Theresa and so on! Each in their own way they have found a safe and happy shelter. A loving and caring environment has given these children more self-esteem. The Ghanaian caregivers give their heart and soul to the home by providing warmth, safety and a family atmosphere which is unique in Ghana.
The children go to the "Shalom Special School" which is situated next to the Hand in Hand community. This school has a special education program, which has been set up with the help of the board members of the Hand in Hand community. Today the school is an independent government institution. In addition to the children of the Hand in Hand community, about 90 mentally handicapped children from all over the country attend this school.
Established in 2004, a well organized sheltered workshop on the premises of the Hand in Hand community has allowed more than forty kids and young adults to receive occupational therapy or work with art- and handicrafts. The participants are ex-students of the special school, handicapped children from surrounding villages and residents from the Hand in hand Community. In the workshop, the youngsters are offered a fantastic chance to gather practical knowledge in activities such as bead-making, making of necklaces and bracelets, weaving and many other vocational skills.
The Peace of Christ (PCC)/ Hand in Hand community was registered in 1992 as a non governmental organization. By providing shelter and educational, recreational and vocational programs, the community aims at increasing the independent living skills of the children and young adults who form part of the community. Zachariah, for example, takes a wheelbarrow to town to get food for the pigs and Kojo Evans is now an established weaver. Kofi Asare is an accomplished musician and drummer. During parties he entertains the other kids in the role of 'Koko the Clown'
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| Philomena loves splashing around in the swimmingpool! | Kofi Asare alias Koko the Clown |
The Hand in Hand community has developed various means of sourcing income. An internet café run by the Hand in Hand Community is the pride of town and helps to support the project. The sales of the uniquely beautiful products of the Sheltered Workshop are now starting to financially aid the community. Our guesthouses attract an ever increasing number of visitors and become an important tool in generating income for the children. The guesthouses consist of round huts with an awesome view over the green African hills. It is a unique experience to visit the community and its beautiful surroundings, to enjoy the enchantment of the children and the family atmosphere. It is also a place just to relax and read a book. In 2008, over 500 people visited the community. Some came for the day, others for a few nights, whilst others, being captured by the spirit of the operation, stayed for weeks and even months. You too are welcome to come and visit us.