About Us

AFH is a group of caring and compassionate people who are motivated to assist children suffering economically, socially and emotionally in Ghana and Colombia. We work personally on the projects that we take on. We are not an organization that simply collects money and sends it overseas. We can guarantee that the work we do is in country and at a grass roots level to foster the change that will improve the living conditions of children.

In Colombia our projects commit to aiding school children in a region of the country that is grossly lacking medical, nutritional and educational supports. The province of Putumayo, with its limited infrastructure, poverty, poor nutrition and high rates of displacement is very much in need. A significant percentage of the population is homeless and undereducated. Additionally, as the number of children who are challenged by physical and developmental limitations grows, there is an increasing need for specific educational materials and supplies which we have been proud to assist with.

In Ghana we have received status as a Non-Governmental Organization. With this status we are able to work in tandem with other NGO as well as gov't agencies to ensure that our funds and our efforts are effectively used. We have learned that it is far better to work with those in country who have the experience and knowledge than it is to inadvertently work at cross purposes. We approach our projects with empathy, commitment and urgency. It is our experience that very little is required to make a huge positive impact in some scenarios. The scenarios we have encountered vary, along with the needs of those people we aim to assist.

In Ghana's Volta region we are most focused on the need to deinstitutionalize the region's orphans. Typically there is a very high percentage of children in orphanages who have one living parent. One of our aims is to eliminate the misconceptions that have made orphanages the automatic response for caring for vulnerable children. We try to work with the understanding that the separation from parents, combined with the poor quality of care, violence, abuse and exploitation found in most care institutions is extreme and has a lasting profound effect on children and society.

We try to aid institutionalized children to have a better quality of life while the government Care Reform Initiative is put into place. This initiative supports the closing of orphanages, and promotes kinship care and fostering. In most cases our assistance comes in the form of basic resources such as food, improved shelter, clothing, educational supplies and medical support. Historical evidence shows that institutionalizing children has not solved the problems of poor families in the past and it will not do so today.

We are firm believers that a child's chances in life shouldn't depend so starkly on where they are born. We believe that all children should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential; to develop their talents, to work towards their goals, to have ambitions and a means to achieve them. We feel that we can always do more, if only by aiding one child at a time. The poverty these children face is more than just lack of money. It is also lack of opportunity. A child who does not have access to learning, family support, or the basic necessities of life is disadvantaged from the start.

By supplying the required resources and developing the conditions that allow children to thrive we have the power to not only ensure their survival, but to open the doors for them to achieve something in life beyond mere subsistence. We prioritize our efforts so that those in greatest need have their needs met first. Instead of treating the symptoms of the problem by building more orphanages or simply shipping food, we work to cut at the roots of the problem, resulting in a future that embraces healthy, educated and most of all self-sufficient Africans.