1. Ghana National Deaf Children's Society
Support for Deaf Children and their Families. A Case Study of GNDCS Gari Project
PRESENTED BY
Kwasi Ofori-Manteaw,
Executive Director,
Ghana National Deaf Children's Society
Box UC 226, Cape Coast, Ghana
Tel:   

2. BACKGROUND What prompted the gari project
GNDCS’ aims and objectives
Identification of other problems
Poverty among families with deaf children
Lack of meaningful welfare system
High unemployment rate among the families

3. AIMS
To provide a forum for family members to develop their entrepreneurial skills and think about starting their own business.
To serve as a source of income for families of deaf children
To empower parents to provide their children’s basic needs; education, health, food, clothing, shelter etc
To enable parents to fully exploit the potential of deaf children

4. ACTION The gari making process
GNDCS organized family members of deaf children to plan and start the project
Facilities and equipment for production was acquired by GNDCS on behalf of the families
Production stages

5. STAGE 1: PEELING OF CASSAVA

6. STAGE 2: MILLING OF CASSAVA

7. STAGE 3: PRESSING OF CASSAVA DOUGH

8. STAGE 4: FRYING OF CASSAVA DOUGH

9. RESULTS Families earn reliable income
Families are able to send deaf children to school, hospitals, and thus provide their children’s basic needs.
Families and children have confidence as they have better life style.
GNDCS earns money to organize more programs for members; deaf awareness campaign, family days, sign language classes, talks on health, education, voting etc

10. LESSONS
The pilot project has proved to be Successful so it will be replicated in the remaining nine regions of Ghana. It has brought to the fore the need to develop the administrative and entrepreneurial skills of the members. The project attests to the fact that when deaf children's families are supported adequately, it impacts on the children positively.

11. Thank you