Questions & Answers
Why an AIDS OrphanageHow are We Safeguarding
Where Did This Idea Come From?
Why An AIDS Orphanage?
HIV/AIDS is accepted as a leading cause of death, which has lead to the establishment of many orphanages in Ghana, particularly in the Kpando district. Those mainly affected are adults between the ages of 18-45. This age group constitutes the labor force and therefore the breadwinners of their various families. The epidemic is a very serious threat to the socio-economic development of the district since this target group is referred to as the future leaders of every society. If no efforts are made to sustain the lives of the children these AIDS victims leave behind, the future of the district looks very bleak.
The alarming rate of the spread of HIV/AIDS has necessitated the establishment of an orphanage to take care of the social and economic needs of all AIDS orphans below 15 years of age. Many families have refused to take care of the orphaned children; specifically those living with HIV/AIDS and many are financially unable to do so even if they wished. The situation of these children in the district is very alarming. By looking at recent data collected, it is shown that over 100 orphans have lost either one or both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. This is expected to increase daily since the disease is not slowing.
The development of a country depends a lot on its education. Unfortunately, children who come from families devastated by HIV and AIDS are the ones who withdraw more frequently from school due to the lack of financial support. Those families have considerably less than those who have not been affected by HIV and AIDS. After having to spend huge amounts of money on medical expenses and funerals and after they have had children placed with them due to AIDS, many families do not have the means to pay for the orphans education. The area, populated mostly by an indigenous community lives according to the extended family system. Many teenagers marry young, which they hope will allow them to rise out of their living situations. One can see as many as eight to eighteen people living in a house of on average of six rooms. The HardtHaven program aims to not only care for the victims of HIV/AIDS but also educate the community in order to prevent further victims.
For more information about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Ghana please check out the Ghana AIDS Commission website at www.ghanaids.gov.gh
How We are Safeguarding The Future of This Project?
We have received and are receiving financial support from a variety of sectors. In 2006, before we even opened, we won a grant from the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. We are anticipating economic fluctuations and ensuring the continued existence of our organization by garnering support and funding from many different communities, countries, and corporations thus safeguarding us from the economic fall of one. We have begun farming in Kpando to create an income and are researching other alternative livelihood projects to help us become self-sustaining. We hope to soon start putting 15% of all donations into various investments in both the US and in Ghana as an additional backup/cushion for unforeseen financial difficulties.
Where Did This Idea Came From?
The idea for HardtHaven Children's Home arose during the summer of '06 when Joy Hardt first traveled to Ghana. That summer she spent almost 2 months in Ghana working at a small hospital in Kpando and while there she met Edem Adjordor who was a friend of the host family she was staying with. After her volunteer time at the hospital was completed she traveled around Ghana, Togo, and Benin with Edem and another American she had met.
While traveling Edem proposed to Joy the idea of an orphanage and on a long torturous 14-hour bus ride from Accra to Northern Ghana the beginning foundations for the Home were laid. Sketches and lists were made on a small dirty notebook, with some of the words not even readable due to the amount of bouncing the bus was doing, but nevertheless an orphanage was born less than one year later.
What a difference two years makes. The AIDS orphans taken in by HardtHaven had previously gone to whoever was willing to take them in- sometimes a grandmother, sometimes neighbors, sometimes strangers who could afford a little extra food. Sometimes one family didn't even have the resources to feed that one child so they were moved from house to house as food became available. The children who were born with AIDS received no medical or supportive care. This orphanage and the volunteers are now working to not only save these kids but also improve the lives of people in the community.