BOHF’s social work permit allows our organization to sponsor children in any region or municipality in Ghana. We recognize, however, the benefits of working in selective communities. Not only does working in geographical target zones help us be efficient with our time and resources as an organization, it helps us maximize our positive impact.

By working in selective communities, BOHF can build strong relationships with residents and local leaders. More than establishing rapport, these relationships help us figure out how to best serve each community’s specific needs, and opens up opportunities for productive collaboration with businesses, religious organizations, and other local leaders. Additionally, working in specific locations means strengthening the entire community, not just a few select individuals. Sponsoring multiple children, their families, and providing community development programs (our other programmatic initiative) in specific locations means helping these communities become self-sustaining and self-empowered.

BOHF is currently working primarily with children and families based in a few select low-income communities in Accra. We will continue to focus upon these communities long-term, ceasing only when the need for our services has diminished and/or adding additional target communities only when our organization has built up enough human and financial resources to be able to do so effectively.

BOHF staff and volunteers spend significant portions of their time in the communities in which we work. While building relationships with residents and leaders in these communities, they are also scouting children to sponsor and identifying families in need. When potentially eligible children are identified, BOHF staff and volunteers meet with their families, school officials, and other community members to determine each child’s circumstances and what kinds of support they might need. BOHF staff and volunteers then nominate a given child to the BOHF board, who evaluates the child’s eligibility, develops a sponsorship plan, and makes arrangements for the child to be available for sponsorship.

BOHF recognizes that every child’s circumstances and needs are different. We thus work with each eligible child, their families, and their communities to create an individualized, comprehensive sponsorship plan designed to sustain each child throughout their adolescence and into early adulthood (or, until their circumstances improve and BOHF’s support is no longer needed). Given our goals to ensure that every child completes their requisite education, can grow and develop in a safe home environment, and will be well-prepared to enter adulthood, our support includes, but is not limited to:

• Providing children’s school fees
• Providing children’s text books, assignment workbooks, and basic school supplies
• Providing children’s required school uniforms
• Providing children’s school meal fees
• Providing transportation fees for children’s commute to school and back
• Providing enrollment fees for health insurance
• Providing additional fees for any necessary medical care (hospital visits, clinic visits, prescriptions, etc.)
• Providing additional fees for any necessary mental and emotional care (evaluations, counseling, etc.)
• Providing access to safe shelter for those who are homeless or subject to abuse at home
• Providing advocacy and assistance in seeking legal help for victims of abuse
• Providing vocational and entrepreneurial training for older youth
• Providing start-up capital and materials, often via soft loans, to older youth

We also consider family support part of our comprehensive child sponsorship program. BOHF’s support for sponsored children’s families includes, but is not limited to:

• Providing vocational and entrepreneurial training for unemployed parents
• Providing start-up capital and materials, usually via soft loans, to parents
• Providing registration fees for parent and sibling health insurance
• Providing pregnant mothers with access to adequate prenatal care
• Providing new mothers with access to adequate postnatal care
• Providing access to safe shelter for families who are homeless or subject to abuse
• Providing advocacy and assistance in seeking legal help for abuse or other matters

BOHF staff and volunteers serve as case workers for sponsored children, making unannounced visits to them and their families on a monthly basis to check in and see how they are doing. In these visits, BOHF staff and volunteers monitor children’s developmental progress, demonstrate care and mentorship, learn about any new needs that the child and their family may have, and gather any additional pertinent information. BOHF staff, volunteers, and the Board of Directors can then re-evaluate each child’s eligibility for sponsorship and potentially re-design their sponsorship plan to best suit any changes in the child’s circumstances.

With exception to instances of granting families or youth with start-up capital and soft loans, BOHF pays children’s schools and other service providers directly in order to ensure the proper use of sponsorship monies.

We are delighted that you are considering sponsorship. Check out our Become a Sponsor page to learn all the pertinent details, including step by step directions to becoming a sponsor.