Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

The Cottage Volunteers for Child Rights programme aims at protecting and promoting child rights for the survival, development, protection and participation of all children.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Children’s Code, the Criminal Act, the Intestate Succession Law and many others exist for the protection and well-being of children. However, these legal provisions will remain empty guarantees if the people, adults and children alike, do not know about them and their provisions. In addition, the protection and promotion of child rights is a human behavior and laws do not change attitudes, habits, values or perception, education does. The level of civic commitment to child rights is therefore directly associated with the level knowledge and awareness about child rights and the various provisions and avenues for promoting and protecting these rights.

In Ghana, awareness of child rights, the convention on the Rights of the Child and other child-rights related documents or laws is very low and knowledge is even lower, hence there is little civic commitment to child rights. There is therefore the need for a systematic information campaign for children and adults about child rights, the convention on the rights of the child and other legal documents.

What is your project and how will it help?

We focus on the community including schools, churches, parents, students, teachers and school authorities. The participatory learning approach which is built on information-sharing rather then information giving (injection) is used. Problem posing is an essential feature. This process involves people actively in learning activities which enable them to experience a new way of doing things or thinking about issues or problems through systematic and critical reflection.

The process also provides opportunity for the people to share ideas, feeling and knowledge, develop skills to put the knowledge into practice, and to see the need to change values, attitudes, habits, practices and behaviours harmful to the well-being of children and to act to promote and protect the rights of children.

We will aim to:

1. To increase awareness and knowledge of the rights of all children including those children in especially difficult situations.

2. To change harmful values, attitudes, habits, practices and behaviours toward children.

How can other people partner with you on your project?

Through provision of funds, equipment and educational materials

Please detail the resources that you need.

MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT NEEDED
1. Vehicles (2)
2. Computers (4)
3. Photocopiers (5)
4. Stationery
5. Overhead Projectors (6)
6. Video Decks (6)
7. Video Cameras (4)
8. Cameras (Photograph) (3)
9. Cassettes
10. Films
11. Generators And Fuel (6)
12. Mobile Phones
13. Public Address Systems
14. Musical Instruments
15. Costumes
16. Prizes
17. Drug And Other Medical Supplies
18. Medical Equipment
19. Food Aid
20. Family Planning Services
21. Machines plants and materials for income generating activities
22. Refreshment
23. Flip Charts
24. Motor Cycles/Motor Bikes (8)
25. Bicycles (60)
26. Office Equipment
27. Building/construction materials for school blocks etc.

BUDGET – 2013-2016 (PHASE 1)
1. community Education………………………………………………. 20,500
2. participatory Research……………………………………………… 5,000
3. training…………………………………………………………………19,800
4. poverty Reduction…………………………………………………… 19,000
5. child Participation…………………………………………………… 7,800
6. Family environment………………………………………………….. 4,400
7. health, nutrition, Family Planning…………………………………. 9,900
8. education Leisure, cultural activities………………………………. 5,400
9. child exploitation, child abuse……………………………………… 5,200
10. children in especially difficult situations…………………………… 17,800
11. Child advocacy……………………………………………………….. 3,500
12. monitoring and evaluation……………………………………………. 5,200

Grand Total……………………………………………………. US $ 136,500