Ghana

GIMAT VOLUNTEER NETWORK

GIMAT Volunteer Network (GVN) is a social enterprise project that operates developmental and sports programmes in deprived communities in Ghana.

They support street children, orphans, school drop-outs, and people with disabilities, by providing them opportunities to develop new skills and access education.

ORGANISATION DETAILS

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PARTICIPANTS

Street children, orphans, young people not in education and people who suffer from disabilities.

LOCATIONS

Accra

Country statistics

138 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP, 2019)

Average annual salary per person $2,230 (World Bank, 2021)

25.5% of people live below the poverty line (World Bank, 2020)

Ghana is a country in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. The population of 31 million are concentrated in the South near the Atlantic coast. 25.5% of people live below the poverty line (World Bank, 2020).

Agriculture is the main source of income for nearly 50% of the population. There is a major disparity between poverty levels in the north and the south (WFP).

Urbanisation is increasing annually, 72.3% of the population is estimated to live in cities by 2050. However, there is a major housing shortage and overcrowding in Ghana’s cities. As a result of housing not being able to keep up with urbanisation and population growth, there is an estimated deficit of 2 million houses (CIA World Factbook / APA News).

Forced evictions are common; in April 2020 more than 1,000 people were made homeless when the government demolished a slum in capital city, Accra (Amnesty International, 2021).

Education is well established across Ghana, however despite success in reducing the gender gap in primary education, there is still a disparity between female and male education at secondary level.

Children with disabilities are also restricted in their access to education. According to the 2010 census, 1 in 5 children with physical disabilities were not enrolled in school (UNICEF).