Since 2005, Compassion has partnered with local churches in Ghana to lift children out of poverty in Jesus’ name. Today, more than 93,760 children are benefiting from Compassion’s support and care at 399 child development centers across the country. At Compassion centers, each child receives the nutrition, access to health care and educational support they need to overcome poverty and grow into fulfilled, self-sufficient adults.
Twenty-five years of stable government and sound economic management led to Ghana becoming one of the most developed nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, overspending and plummeting oil prices plunged the country into an economic crisis in 2015. Today, nearly a quarter of the population lives in poverty, and the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, which have not benefited from improvements in infrastructure and services.
More than half the Ghanaian workforce depends on agriculture for its livelihood, but the industry is dominated by subsistence farmers with plots of five acres or less. These farmers lack access to major markets and are unfamiliar with modern farming methods, leaving many struggling to support their families.
Survival is crucial for infants in Ghana. For every 1,000 live births, 41 die. The maternal mortality rate in is 319 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Around 19% of children suffer from stunting, while about 57% are anemic. Around 71% of childbirths have a skilled birth attendant present.
Survival efforts began in the country in 2012, expanding into areas with the greatest need. There are more than 559 caregivers and their babies now participating in the program. Through home visits, nutritional support, stimulation exercises and parental education, every one of these babies receives the developmental support they need to have the best start to life.
Food insecurity remains a serious problem in the northern part of the country, where nearly 19% of children suffer from stunting (37% in the northern region) and 57% of children under 5 are anemic. Children who don’t have enough to eat face many developmental challenges, not least a reduced ability to concentrate in school. To help tackle these issues, Compassion provides the families of malnourished children with monthly food packages that include eggs, milk, beans, rice and oil.
More than 1.7 million children are engaged in child labor, often in difficult and dangerous occupations such as gold mining, fishing and cocoa harvesting. Many of these children have never had the opportunity to attend school and are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and sexual abuse.
A staggering 85% of Ghanaians do not have access to an improved sanitation facility. This puts children at risk of serious illness that cause them to miss school and Compassion activities. In particular, regular outbreaks of bacterial meningitis can have life-altering consequences, even threatening children’s lives.
School is compulsory up to junior high and is nominally free. However, the cost of textbooks, uniforms and transportation makes school unaffordable for many families living in poverty. Overcrowding is also widespread, with poorly trained teachers expected to work with classes of up to 100 students. These conditions have led to low literacy rates — just 70% of Ghanaians aged 15 and older can read and write at a functional level.
Compassion is striving to create the conditions in which every child in Ghana has access to a good education, in which every child has enough to eat, and in which no child is forced to work for a living instead of attending school. Our child development centers provide an essential base for these efforts. They are staffed by workers who are dedicated to improving children’s lives in Jesus’ name and to reaching out to those most in need.
Ghana Quick Facts
- More than 6.75 million Ghanaians are living in poverty (nearly a quarter of the population).
- Around one in 10 babies are born with a low birth weight.
- Nearly 25% of children are engaged in child labor (1.7 million).
- 11% of children under the age of 5 are underweight.
- 16% of the rural population has no access to a source of safe drinking water.
Sources: The World Bank; The World Factbook; UNICEF; US Department of Labor.