Who we stand up for
Safe Haven's heart beats especially for street children and the less privileged. It is estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 children live on the streets of Accra. These children have had one tragic experience or another, such as the death of their parents, abandonment by a parent or other family members, violence and abuse (sexual, physical and emotional), poverty or simply the hope of a better life in the big city. The street children survive their fate by, for example, cleaning the streets and markets, helping weak and disabled people, collecting and sorting rubbish, carrying goods across the market, begging and, unfortunately, getting involved in petty crimes such as pickpocketing and food theft.
Not only do these children have to spend their time in a dangerous environment without support, supervision or protection, but they are also deprived of their right to education. They are denied the opportunity to build a life or a career, and so the cycle continues. They are denied hope. Due to lack of hygiene, diseases can spread easily. Lack of education and sexual abuse often lead to unwanted pregnancies. Children born into a life on the streets face a very uncertain future. Society has no place for street children and governments offer little support for them. The high unemployment rate in Ghana and the fact that employers prefer children because they are cheaper and easier to exploit than adults mean that children are often the main breadwinners for their families. There is a terrible stigma attached to being a 'street child'. They are mistreated, seen as worthless and labelled as "criminals" and "market vultures".
"We are passionate about changing the image in this area of society and giving hope and a future to children who never had a chance at a good start in life in the first place."
What we do
Our goal is to raise these children to be responsible, law-abiding citizens whose positive impact will be visible and felt in the communities where they will later live as adults. It is our top priority to provide these children with a safe and stable environment that is free from violence and abuse. We not only provide them with shelter, but also give them a home where they feel safe and loved. The children are looked after by trained staff who take care of the smooth running of the home. This includes their physical needs such as hygiene and nutrition, their emotional needs such as the feeling that they belong to a family, and also their educational needs for the school-age children.
Will you help change the world for the children of Ghana?
Donations
Become a supporter - donate now and change lives! The Safe Haven project is sustainable and delivers what it promises. Every donation reaches the people on the ground. Our projects help to find long-term solutions to the problems in the country through direct involvement of the local people.
Through your support of Safe Haven's projects, many people - children and adults - can be helped in difficult living conditions. What may seem like a drop in the ocean can change the lives of those affected.
Volunteering
Would you like to help us in a practical way? There are so many ways you can get involved and become part of the Safe Haven community. Whether you travel to Ghana to teach at the NIC school, help at the children's home, work in our Swiss office or become part of our exhibition team.
Are you... teacher, nursery worker, doctor, nurse, nutritionist, baker, cook, roofer, floor layer, electrician, air conditioning installer, mechanic, IT specialist, bicycle mechanic, administrative assistant, tailor, manager, entrepreneur, landscape gardener? Then we are looking for you!
"Words cannot describe the joy you give to all these children with your generosity."
John E. Sagoe, Founder