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The visit was climaxed with a meeting between AFRUCA and the Executive Council of Youth Alive. Central to the discussions was the partnership and how AFRUCA could support the growth of Youth Alive, especially in fund raising. The meeting came out with areas of responsibilities and obligations of each side to be incorporated into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
From beneficiary to beneficiary, the impression of the AFRUCA team was that, what they saw on the ground was far more than what they knew about Youth Alive reading from reports and other documents. They were amazed at the huge impact Youth Alive was making in the lives of its beneficiaries. Asked by the EC Chairman at the end of the visit what their impressions were, the answer was 'we are overwhelmed'.
AFRUCA reaffirmed their commitment to support the rejuvenation and growth of Youth Alive. Both the Executive Director and the Finance and Administration Manager said they are even more committed than before, as an organization and as individuals to support the fund raising efforts of Youth Alive. The Executive Director also proposed sending all newly recruited staff of AFRUCA to visit Youth Alive for orientation to facilitate their understanding of poverty and vulnerability. She said as an organization working with disadvantaged African children, especially trafficked children, in the United Kingdom, it was important for the staff to understand the dynamics of poverty and vulnerability in Africa in order to appreciate the plight of their clients.
All work without play makes Jack a dull boy - Most of the evenings were spent at places where the team could enjoy charcoal-grilled tiplapia. Both Debbie and Eyassu fell in love with grilled tilapia which usually came with fresh tossed vegetables. These were times when we shared jokes. One of the very funny ones was the joke about Nigeria where it is possible for a helicopter that has airborne to be stopped from the air to land and pick a passenger and take off again. Sounds too crazy to be true but it is true. 'YOU CAN'T LAUGH'
AFRUCA's website is www.afruca.org
For more information about Youth Alive please contact Agnes Chiravira, the director of Youth Alive, by email to Alagba54@rocketmail.com.
Afruca's helping hand to Youth Alive
Youth Alive's UK partner, Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA), recently visited Ghana to familiarize and have a better understanding of Youth Alive's work. AFRUCA is an international NGO working in the UK and in Africa to promote the welfare of African children. Accompanied by the Finance and Administrative Manager, Mr. Eyassu Ukbai, the Executive Director of AFRUCA, Ms. Modupe Debbie Ariyo spent 10 days in Ghana from September 27-Ocober 5, 2008.
The team visited all three regions in which Youth Alive works accompanied by the Director of Youth Alive, Agnes Chiravira. They interacted with various stakeholders including the children, parents, service providers and community members. Current and past beneficiaries of Youth Alive spoke on how they benefited or were benefiting from the organization. Most of them recalled their situations before encountering Youth Alive's and how the interventions of Youth Alive impacted positively not just on them but the larger family.
During the visits to homes and work places of beneficiaries the UK partners could not belief the level of deprivation of some of the beneficiaries. In some cases Eyassu parted with money to meet pressing needs of some beneficiaries while Debbie could not but adopt two children: a fifteen-year-old orphan, Ms Hamdia Mohammed in Tamale and a six-year-old boy Ayimbire Apugun in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region. Both are in school.
While in the Upper Eat Region, the team also paid a courtesy call on the Upper East Regional Minister. Both the Regional Minister and the Executive Director of AFRUCA called on each other to support Youth Alive financially so that many vulnerable children in the region can benefit from Youth Alive's interventions.
In the Upper West and Upper East Regions, AFRUCA met with some members of the Child Protection Network (CPN). Both regions raised issues of abuse peculiar to children, especially the girl child. For instance early marriage, witchcraft, child trafficking were common to both regions. The Upper East also had the problem of 'spirit children', where, most often, children born with deformities are perceived to be bad spirits and are killed spiritually. These are issues the regional Child Protection Networks hoped to address through advocacy and education, if resources are available.