Welcome to the Friends of Little Children (FLC)

Disability in Ghana

Disability is prevalent in Ghana and around 5 million people in Ghana live with a disability, which is around one- fifth of the total population (Disability Rights Convention Ratified-2012). Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society.

Children with any form of disability often are said to be hidden in their communities. According to Ghana’s 2010 Population and Housing Census data, one in three out-of-school children are not in school due to some form of disability (UNICEF Connect-Eulette Ewart-Communication Manager at UNICEF Ghana).

Most of the children are shunned for their disability, marginalised and forgotten. According to research, one child in every five aged six to 24 years with a disability has never attended school and they are often left at home, unable to go outside the house let alone make it to school. Those who are in school are often stigmatized and face discrimination on a daily basis in the form of negative attitudes. Some of the parents have rejected them and some of the children have even been left on their own to die in some cases. These children are sometimes deprived from realizing their rights to education, healthcare, and even survival.

Usually, there is a stigma attached to their disability which makes it challenging for families to step out boldly into the community with their child. In spite of the government’s inclusive education policy, these children are still at risk of stigma (UNICEF-Ghana).

Children's Disability in the UK

At FLC, we believe that children with SEND as well as their families should also enjoy an equal standard of living as others. Families caring for a child with SEND or with a chronic illness, need additional resources to address disability-related needs. Therefore, at FLC charity we also support families as children are not independent.

In 2011 and 2012, a research study revealed that about 800,000 children within the 0–15 years age range, lived with a disability in Great Britain. Data in the UK revealed that poverty is associated with 21% of children with a disability as compared to 16% of children without a disability (The European Journal of Health, 2018). In 2021/22, an estimated 16.0 million people in the UK had a disability and the figure represents 24% of the total population and about 11% of children were disabled (House of Commons Library, 2023).

Our Vision

At FLC, we believe that every child is ‘Unique’ and every child deserves the best possible start in life regardless of their disability and the support that enables the ‘Unique Child’ to fulfil his/her full potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and the child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future life chances.

Our vision for children within the 0-8 age range with special educational needs and disability is that they learn, develop and achieve well in their early years to make a good transition to school, college, and adulthood. Also, we will support local partners when necessary to protect, educate and empower children with disabilities so they are able to fulfil their potential.

Values

• Empathy and respect is at the centre of our work with the children.
• We’re passionate about the holistic development of children under our care
• We’re ambitious for our children
• We co-operate with other organisations both locally and internationally to get the best outcomes for our children.
• We're inclusive in our provision of services to our children regardless of disability, traditions, culture, religion or gender.

Working Together Holistically

Healthy Early Years Ghana (HEYG) Program

We are passionate about the holistic development of all our children in our care and as such proper nutrition is vital to the ‘Unique Child’s ‘overall growth and wellbeing.

The CEO & Director of FLC has put together the HEYG program which is in line with the Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) program to support & encourage our parents and practitioners to develop and to expand their focus on the health and wellbeing for the children as well as the staff. The HEYG program will help to reduce health inequalities by supporting a healthy start to the lives of our children across themes that include healthy eating, oral hygiene and physical health and early cognitive development.

We will extend the initiative to other organisations and offering them with opportunities and support to provide the best food possible and fun active play for children through advice, signposting and training. This includes snack ideas, planning menus and training on nutritional guidelines for children.

Staff Continuous Professional Development In-house Training

• Safer Recruitment
• Sexual violence and harassment
• Child sexual abuse
• Moving and handling
• Introduction to Child Development
• Mental wellbeing in Children and Young People
• Child emotional health & wellbeing
• A practical Guide to data Protection
• Adult mental health & wellbeing
• Food Hygiene and Safety
• Introduction to Fire safety
• Domestic Abuse: Children and Young People
• Smoking, alcohol & substance misuse
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Female genital Mutilation Awareness
• Child safety awareness and advice
• Sleep
• Toilet training and hygiene