Ghana sits in West Africa, sandwiched between Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. Ghana is also known as the Gold Coast, as people from Europe came here to search for gold.
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Accra
Compassion’s work in Ghana began in 2005.
English is the official language of Ghana although there are nine government-sponsored languages. One of them is Twi.
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The African elephant is bigger than the Asian elephant and is therefore the largest land mammal in the world.
As with every country, there are many different types of housing in Ghana. People living in poverty often make housing from what they have. In the picture you can see houses made of corrugated iron and wood.
25.5 million
Currently over 52,000 children are supported through Compassion in Ghana
Britain took control of Ghana in the 20th Century, and Ghana became independent again in 1957. For the last 30 years, the country has been quite stable, but there are still many poor people living there.
As well as gold, Ghana is famous for its cocoa production. A fair bit of the chocolate we eat in the UK is sourced from Ghana. In fact, they are the second largest cocoa exporters in the world after their neighbours, Cote d’Ivoire.
In some areas, children are being forced to work in cocoa farms against their will. Ghana has problems with trafficking, where people are sold into slavery within the country and also between other countries.
You can make sure the chocolate you buy doesn’t come from people who force children into labour by buying Fairtrade certified chocolate.
Take a look at a project in action!
For Ghanaian children forced to work. Please protect them and free them. May they be safe.
For children in Compassion projects, that they can become Christian leaders who help to stop the slavery in their country.
Cedi means ‘cowry shell’, which used to be used as currency.
Compassion has more than 215 child development centres in Ghana.
How can you encourage your sponsored child?
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Why not write to them and mention some of the facts you’ve found here. Ask them questions about what it’s like to live in Ghana.
Ghanaians enjoy lots of flavours in their food. A favourite dish is jollof rice. Try making some yourself:
Ghana is entirely surrounded by French-speaking countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso. I wonder if they eat snails too?
What do you get if you cross an elephant with a bee?
Information sources: The CIA World Fact Book 2011, Compassion International, Human Development Report, BBC, BBC Nature, Wikipedia
