Korte beschrijving van het project
Hope for Life bestaat enerzijds uit het Bethany guesthouse (opvanghuis voor leden van Hope for Life) en anderzijds uit een 3- tal inkomensgenerende projecten waarbij gehandicapten een hoofdrol spelen, nl.:
- Fashion container: Kleding wordt ontworpen, geproduceerd en verkocht;
- Stationary container: Hier worden schoolartikelen verkocht;
- Bakery: Een bakkerij.

Doel van het project
Mensen met een beperking mogelijkheden aanreiken om zelfvertrouwen te verkrijgen en zodoende een onafhankelijk menswaardig bestaan op te bouwen.
De slogan van Hope for Life luidt dan ook:
'Het hebben van een handicap betekent niet dat je onbekwaam bent'.

Huidige stand van zaken
Hope for Life ( een Non-Government Organisation NGO) heeft op dit moment 400 leden.

Behoeften van het project
Gelet op de werkwijze en doelgroep van het Bethany guesthouse zal dit project permanent geldelijke ondersteuning nodig blijven hebben.
Van de drie inkomensgenerende projecten functioneert de Stationary container het meest optimaal.
De twee andere projecten hebben nog aanloopproblemen, omdat ze zich nog in de opstartfase bevinden. De Bakery is pas sinds oktober 2003 operationeel.

Contactpersonen van het project
Theo van Lin en Sue (Missionaire veldwerkers SMA)
Hope for Life
Accra
Ghana

Donaties:
Indien u een donatie wilt geven ten behoeve van dit project, dan kunt u een bedrag over maken op de rekening van de Bresillac Foundation, ABN AMRO rekeningnummer 40.06.14.030 te Arnhem, zulks onder vermelding van credit nr. 600594 (Theo) en creditnummer 300500 (Sue).

Hope for Life
(Disability is not inability).

Project History

Father John Thebault
A French SMA-priest, Fr. John Thebault, arrived in Ghana in 1982, having spent fifteen years in Benin. He was sent by the Religious Congregation SMA of which he is a member (Society of African Missions) to work in the city of Accra among the 'poorest of the poor': to gain an understanding of the circumstances of their lives in order to discover constructive means of rendering assistance.

1982 and 1983 were particularly difficult years for the population of Ghana. Acute shortages of basic items, the devastating effects of the drought, and the return of over one million deportees from Nigeria, meant that the majority op people were living in conditions of extreme poverty. In a situation where suffering was universal, Father John (as he became known) was nevertheless able to observe that certain people stood out from others, their lives and their personalities marked by a complete absence of hope. It was this absence of hope, he decided, that identified them as the poorest of the poor.

Handicaps in Accra
Those who particularly attracted Father John's attention and interest were the handicapped, a large number of the children or young people, who begged in the streets of the city: the blind, the mentally and physically disabled. Having got to know many of them through personal contact, he discovered that although begging was imperative to their survival, for most of them it was also a source of bitter humiliation, which reinforced their sense of worthlessness and despair. None of them was able to envisage any possibility of change in their lives. It was then that Father John made his commitment to bring them 'hope' and help them restore their dignity.

Daily bread
Father John realized that in order for handicapped persons to regain their sense of dignity and worth, their fellow members in society must in turn recognize their dignity and worth. If a handicapped person were to earn his daily bread within the community by providing a service needed in the community, as well as serving to build up the self-confidence and self-respect of the individual, this would also earn him the respect of others. Armed with this vision, Father John began to make contact with the families of the handicapped young people, offering to cooperate with them if they would be willing to make a contribution, according to their means, towards sending their children for practical training. He intended, where necessary, to make a grant of a small amount of capital or tools in order to enable them to set up a small business and lead a productive life integrated into the community. As Father John's work with the handicapped and their families grew, certain needs became apparent, to which he was eventually able to respond in a practical way.

Sometimes people would go for vocational training. Many handicapped persons successfully completed their training as cobblers, seamstress, tailors, weavers etc. and after receiving a grant, set up small business and began to earn their daily bread. It was Father John's policy to visit them regularly and monitor their progress. He found that those who lived with their families or received some kind of support from them could on the whole manage to survive in their new way of life: even if they must struggle, at least they now had hope and dignity.

It was far more difficult for those who had been entirely rejected by their families, or those families who did not have the means to provide any form of support. These people might have just as much courage and determination as the others, but that was not always enough.
When unforeseen obstacles arose, they had nobody and nothing to count on. Maybe illness obliged them to stop working for a few days and created medical expenses that exceeded their meagre earnings; maybe they were evicted from their lodgings or from their place of work. In these situations, all hope deserted them: there seemed to be no alternative but to return to a life of begging in the streets.

Medical assistance
Father John realized that some kind of support had to be made available for the most vulnerable among them. He began to devise the idea of creating a medical insurance scheme, backed by donations from outside sources, whereby members would pay fixed monthly dues and in return would have the security of knowing that, if they were sick, the scheme would grant them the equivalent of their daily earnings and pay the cost of their medical treatment.
He met frequently with three handicapped friends to discuss the idea and to analyze the other difficulties they were encountering in their new working lives. Soon it became clear that financial security was not the only problem. All of them expressed feelings of loneliness and discouragement, all of them felt rejected, and fearful of the future. Perhaps if they formed themselves into a group they could keep hope alive for one another; perhaps as a group they could give to each other the love and encouragement, the understanding and acceptance that their individual lives so obviously lacked. And so the Hope for Life Handicapped Brothers and Sisters Action Association was born. In the two years of its existence, the solidarity they hoped for had indeed manifested itself in a variety of ways: members with skills offer to train their handicapped brothers and sisters as apprentices. A member with a kiosk now shares it with a blind girl who had no place to weave her stools. Older members take younger or more vulnerable ones under their wing. All members in a particular neighbourhood visit each other regularly and make a special effort to make daily contact in times of sickness or distress.
They also look outside the group and into the wider community. A member in Teshie, for example, sought out all the handicapped people living in his township, and has been instrumental in persuading their families that they are capable of learning a skill and leading independent lives. More than just another charity for the distributing of benefits, Hope for Life is an Association that enables its members to give as well as to receive; a group of people who, out of their own experience of suffering, now feel a real desire to help and support one another.

'Hope for life' today

Present status
The Association now has a membership of approximately 400 persons. The Association has registered as an official NGO with the Department of Social Welfare under the name 'Hope for Life Handicapped Brothers and Sisters Action Association'. The association helps pay doctors fees, treatment and hospitalisation. Several members need orthopaedic equipment, which is costly to repair or replace. In this case, the Association gives assistance to an amount agreed by the executive committee at monthly meetings. In times of crisis, or sometimes when a member is building up his business, it may happen that his work does not bring him enough to cover his daily expenses. After an examination of each case, the committee offers whatever material assistance is judged necessary.. The Association willingly encourages all efforts undertaken to improve the earning capacity of the business. Members may apply for a grant or loans for the purchase of tools, materials or equipment.

Coordinators
For helping the branch members, the association came up with the idea to appoint coordinators. Branch members elect a coordinator and every branch has a coordinator. The elected coordinators form an executive committee. In the executive committee, the coordinators discuss issues concerning their branch. On a regular basis the coordinator visits, with a staff employee, the members of the coordinator's branch. Some branches have a small emergency fund, which can be drawn on to pay medical expenses and to cover other unforeseen situations of need. Members pay monthly dues at the branch level. The coordinator collects member's dues and meets with the treasure to present the accounts. He gives a report of his work at the monthly executive meeting, and in turn keeps individual members informed of the work of the committee. Members visit each other regularly, and the spirit of Hope for Life - family solidarity and mutual support - is present among them.

Bethany guesthouse
To offer members a place of welcome and rest, Hope for Life (HFL) erected a guesthouse in Kaneshie, Accra. Members can come to the Bethany guesthouse for different reasons. Some come for breaks from the day-to-day struggle. They need to spend a few days or more perhaps, in an environment where they can rest and be among friends who understand the challenges they face each morning they awake. Some of HFL students visit Bethany during their school breaks, and again at exam time. They find the atmosphere at the house more conducive to study and prepare themselves for their exams. Other members come to prepare themselves for operations. Others come after they have received operations. They spend some recovery time at the house, as there is less chance for infection then there may be in a house without running water and electricity. It may be more restful than their home life would be.
Other members come when they are facing difficulties in their living situation and others come who are in need of a good meal. They know there is a place at the table for them at Bethany House. Bethany guesthouse also serves as the headquarters for HFL. Financial affairs for members are done here. It is the office where staff can make and receive phone calls, and from where the paperwork is generated. Meetings, workshops and social gatherings also take place at Bethany House.

Hope for Life income generating projects
To make Hope for Life self-supporting, the organization has set up income generating projects. These projects have to provide money for the total organization and provide for some members employment and vocational training.
Fashion container
Different materials of tie and dye, specially designed clothes are made at the Fashion container. The project is sponsored by the German organization GTZ. The container also trains members in their vocation with tie and dye.
Stationary container
Sponsored by Caritas, the stationary container is placed at the grounds of the Catholic school Martyrs of Uganda. Mainly writing materials for students and teachers at the school are sold at the stationary container.
Bakery
Bake for Life, a Dutch organization of bakers, came up with the idea to set up a bakery for Hope for Life. The project can train members in becoming a baker. Other members can sell bread on the street to earn an income. The project is meant to generate money for the Hope for Life organization but it also helps individuals with earning their daily income.