Child Sponsorship Background from Tamale, Ghana

SOS Children’s Village Tamale

SOS Children's Village Tamale is situated in the suburbs and was built on a site of slightly more than four hectares of land. It includes 12 family houses, the village director's house, administration buildings and a house for the SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers, who support the SOS mothers). The Village can accommodate up to 120 children.

Other SOS Projects in Tamale

The SOS Nursery and the SOS Primary School can be attended by the children from the village and from its neighbourhood. The Nursery consists of three large classrooms for up to 60 children. The SOS Primary School has ten classrooms, administration offices, a workshop, a library, a canteen, a computer-room and can be attended by up to 320 children.

An SOS Social Centre and an SOS Medical Centre have been set up with the aim of providing a variety of services for the local population. In addition to medical activities, they inform people about local preventative measures. They also provide individuals and families affected by the HI virus with food, medication and psychological assistance and offer families in need social and material support.

Background to Tamale

Tamale is a town situated in the north of Ghana, around 800 kilometres from Accra. It is the capital of the “Northern Region”, one of the poorest of the country. This predominantly rural region has around two million inhabitants and is characterised by its abundance of nature, the importance of agriculture, its big ethnical variety, but also by its low economic development and persistent ethnic tension. Due to the (often lethal) ethnical conflicts and the extreme poverty, many people migrate from the region to other places, while those staying behind find it very difficult to make a living in this poorly developed area. As a result of the lack of medical infrastructure, many mothers die in childbirth. More than ever, the main victims are families and particularly children: there is an alarming increase in the number of orphans and abandoned children.