Kids Haven School - A school for street children in Ghana

The idea of building a school in Tema, more than 8,000 kilometers from Warsaw, was born in Omena Mensah's mind 11 years ago, during her first trip to Africa. At the time it seemed crazy and very risky, but... It worked! Construction of Kids Haven School began in April 2017 and took 1,610 days. On September 4, 2021, the official opening of the facility took place. 

Kids Haven School is located near Tema, on the grounds of Child Protection Center, run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. The center surrounds street children who have no family or come from extremely poor backgrounds with care. In Ghana, it is the street that very often becomes the place for children to find food and work. It is often the case that even as young as several years old, instead of going to school, which their families cannot afford, they almost slave away on plantations or fishing, and receive only a meal in exchange for their work. Special police units try to reach such children and direct them to the care of the Don Bosco center, where they find safe shelter and regular food.

However, in order for these children to have a chance to permanently change their lives and be able to break out of the vicious circle of poverty in the future, they must have access to education. A solid education can change their fate and make them independent and self-determined in the future. Thus, they will get the chance to take up a decent and well-paid job. 

We managed to create a school with an area of 1,500 square meters. The facility has two floors, three classrooms, a computer room, a library, a teachers' room, administrative and social rooms, as well as rooms for Polish and foreign volunteers. The first floor of the school has been outfitted with mobile partitions that can be folded down as needed, thus creating one large space for important school events. The kids also have a playground and a vegetable garden, where they plant fresh vegetables, fruits or herbs. At Kids Haven School, in addition to English lessons, we also provide therapeutic, artistic and educational activities and strive to develop the passions of our charges. Our dream is that the most talented students will be able to study in Poland in the future, build relationships with Polish students, and then carry out ambitious international projects based on Polish-African cooperation. 

Financial support

If you would like to support our project, please donate to the Foundation's account with a note: Ghana Kids Haven School. 85 1140 2062 0000 4426 2800 1001

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