Harmony Community Centre
Brief History
By Elizabeth Z. Deddeh, Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp
Volunteer Peer Counselor – Coordinator – July 2009
Harmony Community Centre (Harmony) is a community of people with disabilities in Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp, Gomoa District, Central Region, Ghana. It was organized by a group of Liberian Refugees trained as peer Counselors under UNHCR Sponsorship in 2002.As the result of that training the peer Counselors got together to Identified disabled people living in the Camp. Another training Workshop was organized by UNHCR and facilitated by Ghana society of physical Disability – GSPD to provide the skills to work with disabled people, thus giving birth to the organization that brought together disabled in the Camp known as ‘harmony Community Centre’.
Harmony Community Centre – Harmony, formerly the Buduburam Parents and Guardians of children with Disabilities ( BUPAGCD) was formed in March 2003 to seek the welfare of disabled refugees in the Camp. Our first target groups were children with various types of disabilities including cerebral palsy. From our survey, we found out that disabled children were the most vulnerable, their parents or guardians neglected or abandoned them simply because they were ashamed to be identified with their disabled family members.
The Buduburam parents and guardians of disabled children, now harmony, succeeded in identifying people with disabilities in the camp, and created awareness to make disability issues and the disabled themselves more visible in the camp.
Membership:
The group had about 420 members of adult and children makes and females with various types of disabilities, deaf and dumb, visually impair persons, mental and physical disability, and children with cerebral palsy. Some of them were repatriated voluntarily to Liberia. This number dropped to about 230 disabled. However the number of disabled is not stable as new disabled shows up at the centre every time. Active membership who are involved with activities are 180 about disabled person.
Activities:
1. The group executives meet weekly on Thursdays to discuss issues of concern and to plan activities. We hold general group meeting every third Saturday once a month where issues discussed in the executives meeting are discuss again on a group level. Issues mostly discussed are the welfare of members and the ways, training opportunity income raising, educational and medical needs are also discussed.
Assistance:
The group has no direct assistance or funding that will assist main projects, it has no budget or support system .Thus it is constantly struggling to get important work done through self help means. The running cost for the centre is struggling and regular voluntary incentives for volunteer is not forth-coming, monthly rent for training rooms are not pay on time or are not paid at all.
Mobility Aids – wheel, crutches and calipers for members, and also come, Braille materials etc. is not forth – coming. We relay on friends of the group to help members to become mobile.
Vocational Training:
Skills training is being carry out in 4 areas, baking- cakes and pastries, dress – making, batik tie and soap making, about 80 disabled members received basic training in the above vocational skills. Materials for the training were provided by UNIDO in collaboration with UNHCR, however there is need for more materials in order to meet the desire goal. The second batch of training is on-going more disabled and their care givers are taking advantage of the training opportunities that is being provided.
Start up Fund:
There is no start of fund to assist members who already received training in order to help them in starting a small business.
Market:
The group has no market in the camp to sell what they had produced, for example the batik/ tie-die. Soap, parozo, bags, purses, etc to raise income. As the result of the poor sell of our products, we are not able to raise the desire funds or to meet out target.
Welfare:
The centre reaches out to the poorest of the poor which are the most neediest in the camp, it seek medical assistance through networking with persons and offices that are concern like the Camp clinic, Social welfare, WISE, and Point Hope.
Financial Assistance:
The branch of the center which is Harmony children gets assistance from Point Hope to take care of the children basic needs such as drinking water, food, and incentive for the volunteers., This fund also provide the means to get teaching materials for these cerebral palsy children. The special school operate from 2-5 pm Monday – Friday and it has 4 volunteers who are active. They do therapy with the children from the training the obtained from the French physiotherapy who was assigned at the clinic.
Social Activities:
The Centre has a drama group and a singing group, Harmony Rocks band. Both drama and the band debate on issues of concern like discrimination against disabled people, HIV/Aids, and the right of the disabled in the camp and its surroundings.
Aims and Objectives:
- To seek the welfare and interest of members etc.
- To disseminate information and create awareness among members.
- To promote, and encourage skills training, and other educational activities.
- To cooperate with other disabled organizations with similar aims and objectives within and without and to foster good relations among members.
Success Stories:
Since the establishment of the group, disabled persons are now visible in the camp they are involved in many activities that has improve the lives of some members, parents are no longer ashamed of bringing their disabled in the public, and they are happy with their children. The wider community are no longer discriminating disabled because of this, the disabled themselves are taking the lead in the community in activities.
A disabled woman who never got among other people because of her disability, is now bore to associate with the community. she was trained in dress-making and now she trained others. She is sustaining herself from the skills acquired.She was repatriated to Liberia, the report indicate that she is involved in teaching other disabled and take contract to be able to sustained herself in Liberia. She make dresses, school uniform etc for customer., disabled have become useful to themselves and to others in the camp.
Challenges:
The centre is faced with many challenges we lack of funds to pay rent for the class room space that is being used by Harmony children.
The sewing class and the batik / tie-dye classroom, no actual funds to effectively operate the center like running cost, bills, incentives for volunteers.
Our Needs:
- Funds / Assistance
- Mobility Aids – wheel, crutches, cane brialle materials
- Materials for vocational training
Commendation:
Harmony would like to thank all those who have helped in one way or the other to bring us to this level.
Special Thanks:
Point Hope
UNHCR
UNIDO
Friends
The writer is a Liberian trained peer counselor, and a coordinator at the Harmony Centre who has worked as volunteer since 20002.
Harmony Community Centre
Bref historique par
Elizabeth z. Deddeh, bénévoles au camp de réfugiés libérien de Buduburam
Volunteer Peer Counselor – coordinateur-juillet 2009
Harmony Community Centreest une communauté de personnes handicapées dans le camp de réfugiés libériens de Buduburam, district de Gomoa, région centrale du Ghana. Il a été fondé par un groupe de réfugiés libériens aidés par Peer Counselors sous l’autorité du HCR en 2002.Cela a permis d’identifier les handicapés vivant dans le camp. Il y a eu la création d’un atelier organisé par le HCR et facilité par la société Ghanaéenne de handicap physique – GSPD pour fournir les compétences pour travailler avec leshandicapés, cela a donné ainsi naissance à ‘ harmonie Centre communautaire ’.
Harmony Community Centre (Harmony), autrefois Buduburam Parents et Guardians of children with Disabilities (BUPAGCD) ont été fondés en mars 2003 afin de chercher le bien-être des réfugiés handicapés dans le camp. Nos premiers groupes cibles étaient les enfants avec différents types de handicaps, y compris la paralysie cérébrale. Dans notre enquête, nous avons découvert que les enfants handicapés étaient les plus vulnérables, leurs parents ou tuteurs les négligeaient ou les abandonnaient tout simplement parce qu'ils avaient honte d'être identifié avec des membres handicapés dans leur famille.
Buduburam parents et Guardians of children with Disabilities, maintenant l'harmonie, ont réussi à identifier les personnes handicapées dans le camp et aider à rendre la question du handicap et des handicapés eux-mêmes plus visibles dans le camp.
Membres :
Le groupe avait environ 420 membres : adultes, enfants et les femmes avec différents types de handicaps, sourds et muet, personnes mal voyantes, handicap mental et physique et les enfants atteints de paralysie cérébrale. Certains d'entre eux ont été rapatriés volontairement au Libéria. Ce nombre diminué à environ 230. Cependant le nombre de personnes handicapées n'est pas stable. Ceux qui participent de façon active aux activités sont 180.
Activités :
Il y a une réunion hebdomadaires le jeudi afin de discuter des sujets des préoccupations et de planifier les activités. Nous organisons des réunion générale chaque troisième samedi une fois par mois où les questions abordées sont discuter à nouveau sur un niveau de groupe.
Les problèmes abordés principalement sont le bien-être des membres, la formation, les besoins éducatifs et médicaux sont également abordés.
Assistance :
Le groupe ne dispose d'aucune aide directe pour les principaux projets, il n'a aucun budget ou de système de prise en charge. Ainsi la difficulté est constante et demande un important travail réalisé par nos propres moyens. L’argent ne venant pas de façon régulière, certains mois le loyer pour salles de formation ne sont pas payer à temps ou pas du tout payés.
Mobility Aids– roue, béquilles et étriers n’arrivent pas, ainsi que les matériaux en braille etc. Nous comptons sur sur les amis du groupe pour aider les membres à devenir mobile.
Formation professionnelle :
La formation est menée sur 4 pôles : pâtisserie-gâteaux et pâtisseries, robe, batik, cravate et savon, la formation de base touche environ 80 membres handicapés qui ont reçus les compétences professionnelles ci-dessus.
Le matériel pour la formation a été fourni par l'ONUDI en collaboration avec le HCR, cependant il faut beaucoup de matériel afin de satisfaire l'objectif.
Le deuxième groupe de formation est en cours, ils sont plus handicapés et nous profitons de l’opportunité de la formation pour leur donner des soins.
Ouvrir un commerce :
Il n'existe aucun fonds pour aider les membres ayant déjà reçu une formation afin de les aider au démarrage d'une petite entreprise.
Marché :
Le groupe n'a aucun marché dans le camp pour vendre ce qu'il produit, par exemple le batik / tie-die. Savon, parozo, sacs, sacs à main, etc. pour générer un revenu. Suite à la mauvaise vente de nos produits, nous ne sommes pas en mesure de réinvestir.
Objectifs :
Le centre est confronté avec nombreux défis tel que recherche de fonds pour payer le loyer pour l'espace salle de classe qui est utilisé par les enfants de l'harmonie.
Pour la classe de couture et le batik / tie-dye en classe, aucun fonds réelles ne permet de l’exploiter efficacement ;
Paiement des factures et recherches de bénévoles
Nos besoins :
Finance / assistance mobilité SIDA – roue, béquilles, canne à sucre, support en braille pour la formation professionnelle :
Harmony tiens à remercier tous ceux qui ont contribué à une façon ou l'autre de nous porter à ce niveau.
Remerciements spéciaux :
Point Hope
UNHCR
UNIDO
Les amis
Le rédacteur est un conseiller libérien formé au centre, coordonnateur au Centre d'Harmony qui a travaillé comme bénévole depuis 20002.
Brief History
By Elizabeth Z. Deddeh, Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp
Volunteer Peer Counselor – Coordinator – July 2009
Harmony Community Centre (Harmony) is a community of people with disabilities in Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp, Gomoa District, Central Region, Ghana. It was organized by a group of Liberian Refugees trained as peer Counselors under UNHCR Sponsorship in 2002.As the result of that training the peer Counselors got together to Identified disabled people living in the Camp. Another training Workshop was organized by UNHCR and facilitated by Ghana society of physical Disability – GSPD to provide the skills to work with disabled people, thus giving birth to the organization that brought together disabled in the Camp known as ‘harmony Community Centre’.
Harmony Community Centre – Harmony, formerly the Buduburam Parents and Guardians of children with Disabilities ( BUPAGCD) was formed in March 2003 to seek the welfare of disabled refugees in the Camp. Our first target groups were children with various types of disabilities including cerebral palsy. From our survey, we found out that disabled children were the most vulnerable, their parents or guardians neglected or abandoned them simply because they were ashamed to be identified with their disabled family members.
The Buduburam parents and guardians of disabled children, now harmony, succeeded in identifying people with disabilities in the camp, and created awareness to make disability issues and the disabled themselves more visible in the camp.
Membership:
The group had about 420 members of adult and children makes and females with various types of disabilities, deaf and dumb, visually impair persons, mental and physical disability, and children with cerebral palsy. Some of them were repatriated voluntarily to Liberia. This number dropped to about 230 disabled. However the number of disabled is not stable as new disabled shows up at the centre every time. Active membership who are involved with activities are 180 about disabled person.
Activities:
1. The group executives meet weekly on Thursdays to discuss issues of concern and to plan activities. We hold general group meeting every third Saturday once a month where issues discussed in the executives meeting are discuss again on a group level. Issues mostly discussed are the welfare of members and the ways, training opportunity income raising, educational and medical needs are also discussed.
Assistance:
The group has no direct assistance or funding that will assist main projects, it has no budget or support system .Thus it is constantly struggling to get important work done through self help means. The running cost for the centre is struggling and regular voluntary incentives for volunteer is not forth-coming, monthly rent for training rooms are not pay on time or are not paid at all.
Mobility Aids – wheel, crutches and calipers for members, and also come, Braille materials etc. is not forth – coming. We relay on friends of the group to help members to become mobile.
Vocational Training:
Skills training is being carry out in 4 areas, baking- cakes and pastries, dress – making, batik tie and soap making, about 80 disabled members received basic training in the above vocational skills. Materials for the training were provided by UNIDO in collaboration with UNHCR, however there is need for more materials in order to meet the desire goal. The second batch of training is on-going more disabled and their care givers are taking advantage of the training opportunities that is being provided.
Start up Fund:
There is no start of fund to assist members who already received training in order to help them in starting a small business.
Market:
The group has no market in the camp to sell what they had produced, for example the batik/ tie-die. Soap, parozo, bags, purses, etc to raise income. As the result of the poor sell of our products, we are not able to raise the desire funds or to meet out target.
Welfare:
The centre reaches out to the poorest of the poor which are the most neediest in the camp, it seek medical assistance through networking with persons and offices that are concern like the Camp clinic, Social welfare, WISE, and Point Hope.
Financial Assistance:
The branch of the center which is Harmony children gets assistance from Point Hope to take care of the children basic needs such as drinking water, food, and incentive for the volunteers., This fund also provide the means to get teaching materials for these cerebral palsy children. The special school operate from 2-5 pm Monday – Friday and it has 4 volunteers who are active. They do therapy with the children from the training the obtained from the French physiotherapy who was assigned at the clinic.
Social Activities:
The Centre has a drama group and a singing group, Harmony Rocks band. Both drama and the band debate on issues of concern like discrimination against disabled people, HIV/Aids, and the right of the disabled in the camp and its surroundings.
Aims and Objectives:
- To seek the welfare and interest of members etc.
- To disseminate information and create awareness among members.
- To promote, and encourage skills training, and other educational activities.
- To cooperate with other disabled organizations with similar aims and objectives within and without and to foster good relations among members.
Success Stories:
Since the establishment of the group, disabled persons are now visible in the camp they are involved in many activities that has improve the lives of some members, parents are no longer ashamed of bringing their disabled in the public, and they are happy with their children. The wider community are no longer discriminating disabled because of this, the disabled themselves are taking the lead in the community in activities.
A disabled woman who never got among other people because of her disability, is now bore to associate with the community. she was trained in dress-making and now she trained others. She is sustaining herself from the skills acquired.She was repatriated to Liberia, the report indicate that she is involved in teaching other disabled and take contract to be able to sustained herself in Liberia. She make dresses, school uniform etc for customer., disabled have become useful to themselves and to others in the camp.
Challenges:
The centre is faced with many challenges we lack of funds to pay rent for the class room space that is being used by Harmony children.
The sewing class and the batik / tie-dye classroom, no actual funds to effectively operate the center like running cost, bills, incentives for volunteers.
Our Needs:
- Funds / Assistance
- Mobility Aids – wheel, crutches, cane brialle materials
- Materials for vocational training
Commendation:
Harmony would like to thank all those who have helped in one way or the other to bring us to this level.
Special Thanks:
Point Hope
UNHCR
UNIDO
Friends
The writer is a Liberian trained peer counselor, and a coordinator at the Harmony Centre who has worked as volunteer since 20002.
Harmony Community Centre
Bref historique par
Elizabeth z. Deddeh, bénévoles au camp de réfugiés libérien de Buduburam
Volunteer Peer Counselor – coordinateur-juillet 2009
Harmony Community Centreest une communauté de personnes handicapées dans le camp de réfugiés libériens de Buduburam, district de Gomoa, région centrale du Ghana. Il a été fondé par un groupe de réfugiés libériens aidés par Peer Counselors sous l’autorité du HCR en 2002.Cela a permis d’identifier les handicapés vivant dans le camp. Il y a eu la création d’un atelier organisé par le HCR et facilité par la société Ghanaéenne de handicap physique – GSPD pour fournir les compétences pour travailler avec leshandicapés, cela a donné ainsi naissance à ‘ harmonie Centre communautaire ’.
Harmony Community Centre (Harmony), autrefois Buduburam Parents et Guardians of children with Disabilities (BUPAGCD) ont été fondés en mars 2003 afin de chercher le bien-être des réfugiés handicapés dans le camp. Nos premiers groupes cibles étaient les enfants avec différents types de handicaps, y compris la paralysie cérébrale. Dans notre enquête, nous avons découvert que les enfants handicapés étaient les plus vulnérables, leurs parents ou tuteurs les négligeaient ou les abandonnaient tout simplement parce qu'ils avaient honte d'être identifié avec des membres handicapés dans leur famille.
Buduburam parents et Guardians of children with Disabilities, maintenant l'harmonie, ont réussi à identifier les personnes handicapées dans le camp et aider à rendre la question du handicap et des handicapés eux-mêmes plus visibles dans le camp.
Membres :
Le groupe avait environ 420 membres : adultes, enfants et les femmes avec différents types de handicaps, sourds et muet, personnes mal voyantes, handicap mental et physique et les enfants atteints de paralysie cérébrale. Certains d'entre eux ont été rapatriés volontairement au Libéria. Ce nombre diminué à environ 230. Cependant le nombre de personnes handicapées n'est pas stable. Ceux qui participent de façon active aux activités sont 180.
Activités :
Il y a une réunion hebdomadaires le jeudi afin de discuter des sujets des préoccupations et de planifier les activités. Nous organisons des réunion générale chaque troisième samedi une fois par mois où les questions abordées sont discuter à nouveau sur un niveau de groupe.
Les problèmes abordés principalement sont le bien-être des membres, la formation, les besoins éducatifs et médicaux sont également abordés.
Assistance :
Le groupe ne dispose d'aucune aide directe pour les principaux projets, il n'a aucun budget ou de système de prise en charge. Ainsi la difficulté est constante et demande un important travail réalisé par nos propres moyens. L’argent ne venant pas de façon régulière, certains mois le loyer pour salles de formation ne sont pas payer à temps ou pas du tout payés.
Mobility Aids– roue, béquilles et étriers n’arrivent pas, ainsi que les matériaux en braille etc. Nous comptons sur sur les amis du groupe pour aider les membres à devenir mobile.
Formation professionnelle :
La formation est menée sur 4 pôles : pâtisserie-gâteaux et pâtisseries, robe, batik, cravate et savon, la formation de base touche environ 80 membres handicapés qui ont reçus les compétences professionnelles ci-dessus.
Le matériel pour la formation a été fourni par l'ONUDI en collaboration avec le HCR, cependant il faut beaucoup de matériel afin de satisfaire l'objectif.
Le deuxième groupe de formation est en cours, ils sont plus handicapés et nous profitons de l’opportunité de la formation pour leur donner des soins.
Ouvrir un commerce :
Il n'existe aucun fonds pour aider les membres ayant déjà reçu une formation afin de les aider au démarrage d'une petite entreprise.
Marché :
Le groupe n'a aucun marché dans le camp pour vendre ce qu'il produit, par exemple le batik / tie-die. Savon, parozo, sacs, sacs à main, etc. pour générer un revenu. Suite à la mauvaise vente de nos produits, nous ne sommes pas en mesure de réinvestir.
Objectifs :
Le centre est confronté avec nombreux défis tel que recherche de fonds pour payer le loyer pour l'espace salle de classe qui est utilisé par les enfants de l'harmonie.
Pour la classe de couture et le batik / tie-dye en classe, aucun fonds réelles ne permet de l’exploiter efficacement ;
Paiement des factures et recherches de bénévoles
Nos besoins :
Finance / assistance mobilité SIDA – roue, béquilles, canne à sucre, support en braille pour la formation professionnelle :
Harmony tiens à remercier tous ceux qui ont contribué à une façon ou l'autre de nous porter à ce niveau.
Remerciements spéciaux :
Point Hope
UNHCR
UNIDO
Les amis
Le rédacteur est un conseiller libérien formé au centre, coordonnateur au Centre d'Harmony qui a travaillé comme bénévole depuis 20002.
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