Child protection & Reintegration
BRAVEAURORA’s impact is entrenched in the timeless African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child". We believe that raising children to thrive is not solely the responsibility of individual families but a collective effort. Our work draws on the interconnectedness celebrated in the proverb, addressing not only immediate challenges facing children, but also the systemic BRAVEAURORArriers that perpetuate vulnerability. The goal then is to foster lasting resilience, equity, and opportunity for children and families through strengthening local protection systems and creating partnerships. In this spirit, we work to strengthen families, support the self-empowerment efforts of communities , and partner with government and other non-profit actors to protect and empower the most vulnerable in society.
In Ghana thousands of children live in orphanages. Between 1996 and 2006, the number of orphanages rose from 23 to 148.
Currently, there are an estimated 121 orphanages in Ghana, housing approximately 3,500 children. But what causes so many children in Ghana to end up in orphanages? The answer is troubling: poverty, discrimination, and voluntourism. Particularly concerning is the fact that two out of three children living in Ghanaian orphanages are not actually orphans — they have at least one living parent who could potentially care for them.
VOLUNTOURISM
when helping others becomes a business
More and more volunteers are seeking to combine their vacation with doing good and are willing to pay a lot of money to do so. The most popular voluntourism activity is working with orphans. However, in recent years, the demand has exceeded the supply.
As a result, children have been — and continue to be — torn from their impoverished families and placed in illegal orphanages. In Ghana, two out of three children living in orphanages are not orphans. As a result, children have been — and continue to be — separated from their impoverished families and placed in unlicensed orphanages. In Ghana, two out of three children living in orphanages are not orphans. A child's own family, which provides love and security, is the best environment for children to grow up. Children in institutions often lack protection and support, social security, a sense of belonging, integration into the village community and much more.
Sustainable Development Goals
promoting child protection & reintegration
Therefore BRAVEAURORA works in collaboration with Ghanaian authorities, particularly the Department of Social Welfare, to reunite children living in illegal orphanages and children's homes with their (extended) families. In addition, we raise awareness in the communities in northern Ghana about the risks of growing up in institutional care and the long-term consequences of family separation. BRAVEAURORA is doing pioneering work in this field in Ghana.
To date, BRAVEAURORA has worked with the Ghanaian authorities to close 24 orphanages and reunite 770 children with their families.These successes underscore the effectiveness of BRAVEAURORA's reintegration work, which not only frees children from institutions but also raises long-term awareness in communities about the importance of family life.
By strengthening family structures instead of orphanages, we are contributing to a more peaceful and fairer society.
Our goal is to protect children and foster inclusive societies where all people — especially children — have access to justice and a safe environment
BRAVEAURORAs vision and mission
YAP PROJECT
Young ambassadors for reintegration
As part of the YAP project (Young Ambassadors Programme), former orphans and their family members, together with social workers, visit villages in northern Ghana to talk about family reintegration and voluntourism, and to raise awareness about available support services
Since 2013 we were able to reach more than 15.000 people in 159 villages. The young participants were trained as so called peers (multipliers = disseminators) and report from their own experience how harmful orphanages can be for children and what advantages there are to growing up in a family.
Girls4MHM PROJECT
Strong girls - safe menstruation
According to a local study, 95% of girls in Ghana do not go to school when they have their period! All our projects therefore focus on girls and women, empowering them to become self-determined and achieve gender equality. This also applies to the Girls4MHM (GIRLS FOR MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT) project..
Periods are therefore often a reason why girls do not perform as well in school (due to frequent absences) or drop out of school and thus their careers! Due to this alarmingly high number, BRAVEAURORA has initiated the ‘Girls for Menstrual Hygiene Management’ project. The project aims to break menstrual taboos and improve girls' school performance. The project reaches around 240 girls between the ages of 14 and 25 years from 12 communities yearly. Each community has a girls' club with a mentor who educates them about sexual health and rights and encourages open discussion. The biweekly clubs are safe spaces for girls and young women where they can ask questions about their menstruation and also talk about gender roles, youth protection and their professional future.
In total 3.000 reusable sanitary pads were sewn in the girls´club, which can be used and also sold by the young women. In this way, we also contribute to waste prevention.
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Wir hatten die Ehre, Herrn Osman Mohammed, Landesdirektor der Vibrant Village Foundation (VVF), zu einem zweitägigen Arbeitsbesuch begrüßen zu dürfen.
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So schön hatten wir es gestern bei unserem Sommerpicknick 😍 Bei leckeren Köstlichkeiten aus Ghana 🇬🇭 und Österreich 🇦🇹, Armbänder fädeln und ein paar Runden Oware genossen wir die gemeinsame […]
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❤️-liche Einiadung zum BRAVEAURORA Sommerpicknick! 📆 Wann: Heute Samstag, 09.
