Sponsor a Child’s Education Today!

You can change the lives of disadvantaged children through our sponsorship program. Sponsoring a child’s education makes it possible for a street child to get off the streets and go to school, perhaps for the very first time. Street children are a common sight in Accra. Many get no education and remain illiterate, leaving them in a dangerous cycle of poverty and neglect. In 2001 the Ghana Statistical Service estimated that approximately 27.2% of children aged 5 to 14 years in Ghana were working on the streets to survive. Today, approximately 1 in 5 children do not attend primary school and it is therefore no surprise that 34% of Ghanaian children are involved in some form of child labour activities.

These children work as cart pushers, street hawkers, bar-workers, head-porters, shoe-shiners and scrap-metal and plastic-bag collectors. Basically they do whatever it takes to survive day to day. At night, they sleep on the ground in front of shops exposing themselves to all kinds of diseases and crime. They are easily lured into robbery, drug peddling, child prostitution and other misdeeds. Females are compelled to satisfy the desires of their male counterparts for food and protection. Ignored by authorities and the public, they are often the target for exploitation, threats, and violence.

It will be an understatement to say that these children are suffering. The question you hear most people ask is where are their parents? Who cares for these street children? Why are they not in school?

The Lovelace Foundation went in search for answers and this is what we found out…

Many children do not go to school because their parents cannot provide them with basic educational materials, such as school uniform, exercise books, shoes for school, a school bag and school stationery like pencils and pens.

Children willingly engaged in some sort of work rather than go to school because they had to support their mother’s, who are mostly single parents and who themselves have no education so do not know the value in education themselves.

It is a statistical fact that children who grow up in families that do not stress the importance of getting an education are more likely to be living out on the streets, doing drugs, joining gangs, or ending up in prison. High rate in crime can be attributed to the lack of education.

The problem is only going to get worse, unless we do something about it now. It’s easy to look the other way and pretend not to see, when a child or street hawker comes to the window of your vehicle, while you are sitting in traffic, and desperately tries to sell you something. We are beginning to accept this problem to be the norm and a way of life in Ghana.

The lives of street children in Accra may seem very different from yours but they are people, with the same dreams and aspirations like everyone else. The Lovelace Foundation went on the streets of Accra and randomly interviewed and recorded a few street children in Accra. Here are the answers to the few simple questions we asked.

Jessica aged 3
Q: What will make you happy?
A: Go to school.
Q: What do you want to become when you grow up?
A: I want to become a doctor.

Yaw aged 14
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: My home town.
Q: If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
A: Shoes, shirt, and sneakers.
Q: Why do you want those things?
A: To wear so I can go to school and learn to become somebody.

Serwaa aged 4
Q: What makes you happy?
A: Clapping games.
Q: What makes you cry?
A: When I am hungry.
Q: If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
A: A dress, sandals and eggs.

Kofi aged 14
Q: What do you think about last thing at night before you go to sleep?
A: I have to think about the tomorrow where I can find money to eat.
Q: What would you have if you could have anything?
A: A bed where I can sleep, plenty food to fill my belly.

Ruth aged 16
Q: Tell me about your mother.
A: She wants me to be somebody but I am on the streets.
Q: What would you like to do in your future?’
A: In the future, i pray God lets me be rich, so I will care for other street children and help them.
Q: What do you regret?
A: I regret my boyfriend and I regret having bad friends who wish for my downfall.

Help us change the lives of these street children by sponsoring them through our sponsorship program. Sponsoring a child’s education makes it possible for a working street child get off the streets and go to school, perhaps for the very first time in their life.

The image to the left shows a before and after photograph taken of 3 year old Jessica’s very first day at school. Her very first step to becoming a doctor. There are many more children like Jessica waiting to be sponsored.

£200 will pay for all expenses and will keep a child in school for a year.
£10 means a child can take a bag and books to school
£25 means text books and school stationery.
£10 means a child’s school uniform.
£20 means a child can eat healthy meals in school for one month

Funding an education is a long-term commitment. For the child, knowing that someone cares can be the difference between working hard at school and giving up. The Lovelace Foundation does everything possible to avoid disrupting the education of sponsored children. In fact, we would love to see all our sponsored children complete university. Wouldn’t you want to see that happen too?

To sponsor a child, click on the ‘Contact Us’ link and we will send you all the necessary information to start sponsoring a child’s education today.

How Sponsoring a Child’s Education Works

1. First you must register to sponsor a child’s education with the Lovelace Foundation’s education sponsorship programme.
2. Pay £200 to the Lovelace Foundation to sponsor a child for a year. This pays for all expenses too.
3. You will be provided with the name age and a full size photograph of the child you will be sponsoring.
4. The Lovelace Foundation will continually keep track of the child’s development at school, how well they are coping with the new environment at school, monitor class attendance.
5. The Lovelace Foundation will send you a progress report every term with photographs.
6. You will be able to communicate with the child whenever you wish, through photographs and letters during the term of your sponsorship.

In the event of absenteeism, fees will be blocked and the Lovelace Foundation will arrange a school and family meeting to discuss the cause of the child’s absenteeism. When the reason for absenteeism is established a mutually agreed plan will be developed to resolve truant behaviour. If truant behaviour of the child continues sponsorship fees will be stopped and sponsorship withdrawn immediately. In any case a report will be sent to you outlining the reason the child has been absent from school and the action taken by the Lovelace Foundation.

Motivation is never a problem with street children in general. They know the value of education so they work hard in school to stay off the streets. Some parents are thankful to see their children in school and not working on the streets.

Sponsor an Event or Campaign

Sponsor one of our events or campaigns and enhance your brand’s profile while helping the Lovelace Foundation, Ghana’s leading independent organisation for education, raise funds to educate disadvantaged children and youth in Ghana. Associating your brand with the Lovelace Foundation could be extremely beneficial for your business and shareholders. Sponsorship opportunities are a great way of reaching out to target audiences while demonstrating good corporate citizenship.

How The Lovelace Foundation is Funded

As a registered charity, we rely on generous donations and gifts-in kind from a variety of sources to sustain our work. We welcome contributions from private companies, public bodies, community organisations, faith groups, and individuals.

So far we are extremely grateful to all our funders, not only for their generosity, but also for their enthusiasm and shared belief in what we do. Without their support we most certainly wouldn’t be where we are today. We hope you consider contributing to ensure our educational programs and outreach to the disadvantaged community stay strong and vital. To make an online contribution please visit: https://lovelacefoundation.org
To contribute by cheque, please make the cheque out to ‘The Lovelace Foundation’ and mail to: The Lovelace Foundation, P.O. Box CO 331, Tema, Ghana, West Africa or call Edna Engmann on +233 (0) 208 120 838 for enquiries relating to the transfer of funds into the Lovelace Foundation’s bank account.

Corporate Sponsorship

We welcome and recognise the vital role the business community can play in sustaining our work so we make every effort to develop long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships and will work with you to develop a customised sponsorship package that meets your needs. At any sponsorship level your company will be recognized as part of our extended community of supporters, with your company name and logo displayed on our website, social media, and any press related to your sponsorship.

As non-governmental organization, all contributions to the Lovelace Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To discuss support and sponsorship opportunities in more detail please contact our team by email info@lovelacefoundation.org

Corporate Partnership

Partner with the Lovelace Foundation and boost your business’s profile while supporting our cause to empower disadvantaged children through education in Ghana. This could massively boost your company profile and customer base because most consumers are likely to buy a product or service from a company that is associated with a cause they care about. At any sponsorship level your company will be recognized as part of our extended community of supporters, with your company name and logo displayed on our website, social media, and any press related to your sponsorship.

As a non-governmental organization, all contributions to the Lovelace Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To discuss support, partnership or sponsorship opportunities in more detail shoot a quick email to info@lovelacefoundation.org and our team will respond promptly to your enquiry.