CCFC reaches out to communities in Northern Region

Sat, November 14, 2009



An international non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Christian Children Fund of Canada (CCFC), which is currently operating in the Northern Region, has over the past 50 years supported the fight against poverty in underdeveloped communities throughout the world.
With a vision to reach out to children, families and communities in need, and inspired by Christ’s example of love and care for mankind, CCFC, the Canadian-based charity international development organisation, supports children, families and communities, especially in the developing world.
In a message contained in its annual report for 2009, the CCFC Country Director in Ghana, Mrs Sanata Nantogma, said “our aim is to bring smiles to the faces of people, especially children.”
Mrs Nantogma said to make effective use of the funds from their sponsors and also to increase their impact in the communities where they operated, the organisation had taken pains to develop a strategic approach structured around five priority areas which were fundamental and most likely to provide a higher standard of living for people, especially the vulnerable.
The five strategic areas include: Strengthening institutional and community organisations; sustainable livelihood development; education; water, sanitation and hygiene as well as health and nutrition.
In Ghana, CCFC works with five partners namely Markaz Al Bishara, Tuma Kavi Development Association, Presbyterian Farmers Training Programme, the Ghana Baptist Convention and the Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services in nine districts in the Northern Region. The districts are the Tamale metropolis, Yendi, Saboba, Savelugu/Nanton, Tolon-Kumbungu, East Gonja, Gushiegu and Nanumba North and South.
As part of its objectives, the organisation pushes for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by working through local partners which increases the sustainability of its activities.
To be more efficient, partners who work with the organisation at the local level are supposed to have knowledge of the local situations and needs of the communities in which they work.
In addition they are also expected to have the ability to implement child-focused community development programmes that respond to the local context and environment.
As part of its achievement, CCFC has in the area of education provided school materials for 6,962 pupils, supported 66 students with the payment of school fees, provided 653 children with school uniforms and also arranged for extra classes for 132 pupils in those communities.
In addition, the CCFC has built four early childhood development centres in four communities and also provided furniture for four others as well organised educational tours for a total of 164 children in its area of operation.
To ensure that adults were not left out, the organisation organised eight cycles of functional literacy programmes for some adults in the communities.
In the 2009 annual report Mrs Nantogma said “We have the objective of transforming impoverished neighbourhoods into fully functioning sustainable ones”.