Art Therapy in Ghana - Attukwei Art Foundation

Vital Stats

Jessye K

Concord, MA

people helped800
People Doing It 10

The Problem

AAF addresses a pressing need for support services in Ghana. The country has experienced a rapid increase in industrialization, urbanization and global firms entering Ghana over the past half century. One of the main detrimental aspects of this globalization has been tremendous urbanization, which has resulted in growing numbers of city slums and extreme poverty. UN-Habitat estimates that roughly 70 percent of Ghanaians living in urban areas are living in slums (UN-Habitat 2009). With increased domestic violence and criminal assaults, life in poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Ghana is alarmingly dangerous. According to the INTERPOL year 2000 statistics, (a crime rate comparison database) the rate of rape per 100,000 residents was 32.02 percent (this 32.02%, however, does include marital rape in its study, which is legal in Ghana) (Henson, 2003). Additionally, World Focus reports an estimated number of one million children in Ghana working in forced child labor conditions (WorldFocus 2007). The aforementioned violence does not obscure the richness and beauty of Ghanaian culture, yet statistics show that these are problems in Accra currently that should be addressed. Through Attukwei Art Foundation’s initial projects, in particular the art therapies programs, we have just begun to see signs of beneficial outcomes in children being able to tell their stories and feel relieved afterwards. The Attukwei Art Foundation, through cathartic art projects, group murals, and memoir writing can create a place for safe self-expression for children in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana who are suffering from the effects of poverty.

Plan of Action

Attukwei Art Foundation (AAF) is a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) existing in the Greater Accra region of Ghana as a charity, using both educational and social approaches fostered by the belief that every child should experience art. We currently focus on schools lacking in funds, urban slums and street children to find cathartic means of expressing themselves through art. We work in several schools throughout the year. We have volunteer opportunities which allow us to purchase more art supplies. We run festivals and work with street children not enrolled in school. We've helped over 800 students of all ages tell their story through art. Many of them have said they feel 'less alone'. We've showed them financial empowerment through selling their artwork and run workshops for teachers and students alike. Empowerment and relieving poverty through the arts. We've been an organization for one year. Schools know the name of our organization now and some schools have even requested our programming!

Arts in Education

Dating Abuse

Education

Education Inequalities