ANOPA Project is excited to kick start its partnership project in Ghana with the RYTHM Foundation with focus on the Greater Accra Region, the Central Region and beyond.
Across Ghana, persons with Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), the blind and children with other forms of disability continue to be isolated, marginalized, discriminated against and in many cases, exploited and abused although international guiding documents such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize inclusive and equitable education for all children without discrimination.
The New Project “Harnessing the Potential of Visually Impaired, Sighted and Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) through Infrastructure Enhancement, Inclusive Education, Vocational Training and Sport in Ghana” is aimed at changing the stereotype surrounding disability in Ghana.
This Project will be a guaranteed place for opportunities in inclusive and quality education, vocational training, educational infrastructural enhancement and access to Sport.
The Project has four modules which include the educational module. This module seeks to enhance the development of inclusive education through the provision of inclusive and assistive technologies (ICT tools) to help alleviate the information challenges of visually impaired students and improve their functional capabilities within their inclusive education setting with their sighted peers. Children with IDDs will be provided with assistive tools to aid in their learning and development, making teaching and learning easier for both teachers and students. Other infrastructure enhancement and upgrade such as redesigning of classroom blocks, resurfacing of the schools’ compound to aid free and safe commuting of teachers and students, and the provision of safe water storage among others will also be realized.
Closing the gaps in employment outcomes requires tremendous efforts in providing the right type of vocational interventions that are effective for which group of people with disabilities.
Our Vocational module will fairly and selectively bring together differently-abled persons and other unemployed youth under one umbrella to learn vocations such as Soap Making, Baking and Confectionery, Beading and Bag Making. Under this scheme each differently-abled trainee would be paired with one unemployed trainee to serve as an assistant/mentor guided by qualified resources persons.
Other persons with IDDs would be encouraged to take up Gardening, opening up all the relevant techniques and skills in farming with our Gardening Clubs in the Schools. Marketing avenue will be sought out for through Government and Private Institutions like the BACs, trade and industrial fairs and other relevant outlets and institutions.
There would be tailored made support available for individuals to progress their trade and make decent living through our Individual placement and support scheme. This is a person-centered approach whereby the skills, aspirations and the suitability of starting own business after training are explored.
As a Sport for Development NPO, ANOPA Project hopes to harness the power of Sport especially inclusive Sport to positively influenced and change the negative perception of society towards differently-abled persons particularly children. Our unified sport sessions aim to promote social inclusion, education and advocacy through sport with an innovative approach. This module will explore the use of sports such as football, table tennis, volleyball, swimming, athletics and other recreational activities with special attention to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3).
Last but not the least module will focus on Workshops and Seminars aimed at strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders including parents, teachers, NGOs, community leaders, members of the assembly, local authorities among others on guidelines on disability, support services, inclusive and unified sports among others.
The Executive Director of ANOPA Project, Mr. Ernest Appiah mentioned that despite the Government of Ghana’s provision for total inclusion and education for children with disability and her commitment to their rights, its still on record that unlike their peers without disability, differently-abled children and particularly others with special needs are highly discriminated against and institutionalized.
He urged all parents and heads of schools to take advantage of this unique intervention implemented by the ANOPA Project and funded by the RYTHM Foundation to enroll their wards on the program instead of keeping them excluded and isolated at home in order to benefit from all the modules.
In the past, ANOPA Project has contributed immensely and positively to deaf and blind education and sport in Ghana particularly in the Central and Western Regions of Ghana winning many awards and citations in that regard including Charity Organization of the Year 2022 award at the Africa Cooperate CEOs and Honors Award in Accra, Citation for the Humanitarian Awards Global 2022, and winning the just ended CSR Excellence Award 2023 with the RYTHM Foundation organised by the Centre for CSR-West Africa.
Other partners of ANOPA Project include Visio International, Sport4development e.v, VIA e.v, Contribyoute and the Ghana Deaf Sport Federation (GDSF).
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