Hand in Hand, Nkoranza, Ghana (UK Support)

Case Studies

All the children at Hand in Hand have had difficult starts to their lives. You can read about their stories on the Hand in Hand Ghana website by clicking on ‘The Children’. Below are three case studies focusing not on the traumatic, sometimes horrific experiences of the children before coming to Hand in Hand, but rather on their successes and achievements which have been made possible by the love and security of their new community.

KOJO EVANS

Kojo is the first member of the Hand in Hand community to live semi-independently in his own house on the compound. Kojo’s living arrangements are comparable to the UK’s supported living model and aim to promote his independence and privacy. Living in his own house gives Kojo a sense of ownership and pride. His cerebral palsy has not stopped him from learning to weave. Kojo creates complex and beautiful traditional cloth at the workshop, which is then sold in the onsite shop and also abroad. Kojo’s weaving sees him in meaningful and skilled daily employment, something which someone with comparable levels of mobility and language difficulties in the UK would be hard pushed to achieve. Kojo has built relationships with his peers amongst the community and is a private but much liked figure. Kojo is well known for his entrepreneurial spirit and recently fundraised for his own computer through offering car cleaning and massage services!

PAKOR

When we visited Hand in Hand in the summer of 2007 we were joined by Susan Hatton, an autism consultant from the UK. Sue did some excellent work with the caregivers of the community on understanding autism and the importance of finding ways to interact and engage with the children on the autism spectrum. Pakor, who has Down’s syndrome and autism, was brought to her attention and after her departure Pakor’s caregiver worked intensively with him, striving to understand his behaviours and attempting to create an ‘autism friendly’ environment for him. The result of all this hard work is noticeable as soon as you meet Pakor today, as he will come up to you and shake your hand, often making eye contact. This is such progress for Pakor. He is flourishing. Susan Hatton visited for the second time in 2009 and was deeply impressed by the work of Pakor’s caregiver and was delighted with Pakor’s development. Pakor has a bright future ahead of him due to the high quality care he is receiving from dedicated and passionate care staff.

EMMANUELLE

Emmanuelle arrived just a few days after she was born and despite her severe physical disability she has been raised by Joyce her caregiver to do as much as she can for herself and indeed for others. Her good friend Lisa has all her limbs but almost total paralysis. Emmanuelle plays with her gently and lovingly and brings a smile to her face whenever they are together. Emmanuelle’s most recent and possibly biggest achievement to date in her young life is to have started mainstream school. Along with Stephen, who joined Hand in Hand just a few months ago, she travels to the local primary school where she is learning alongside other children from the town, making friends and really becoming part of the school population. True ‘inclusion’ is taking place. This could never have become a reality without the hard work of Emmanuelle’s caregiver and the vision and determination of senior members of the Hand in Hand community.