Young and Lonely Foundation - YLF

YOUNG AND LONELY FOUNDATION-YLF: ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE, Young and Lonely Foundation (YLF) is a Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Making Organization, the organization was founded on 12th August, 1999 and established in 27th April, 2006 with the Registrar General’s Department RGD Number – CG179582015, TIN – C0005501601(old number G. 17. 715), and the Non-Profit Organization / Department of Social Welfare’s License Number – D.S.W./3842. The organization is also registered with the district assembles, we (YLF) are also on the district GIFMIS (Ghana integrated financial management information system), in its operational areas and a member of coalitions who offer selfless services to improve the lives of individuals as well as communities.Young and Lonely Foundation was formed to assist vulnerable groups such as children, women, widows, persons living with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDS, special children such as cerebral palsy (Down Syndrome) etc. to improve their social, cognitive or intellectual functioning among others. At the moment, the organization operates in two regions. In the central region, YLF operates in the Agona West, Agona East and Gomoa Districts, the organization also operates in Bongo District in the Northern Region of the Republic of Ghana. Over the years, YLF has worked with 175 international volunteers to implement diverse activities in Ghana. The volunteers come from Germany, Sweden, Belgium, UK, Australia, Japan, Italy, Holland, Norway, Canada and USA. These volunteers were recommended by individuals to work with YLF. Also, the organization builds it capacity through its partnerships with local and international Institutions, Alliances, Coalitions and Networks (https://learn2change-network.org/our-members/) and other groups also in the communities to find opportunities for some of these volunteers. Other institutions that the YLF connects volunteers to are NGOs, communities, schools, health institutions, Department of Social Welfare, Districts Assembly Departments, etc. and the organization has been corresponding with them on regular basis and sharing ideas on best practices all over the world on how to create, A Just World for Vulnerable Children.The organization has been linking the needy and its beneficiaries to resources where they are given diverse forms of assistance. Also, the organization embarks on various projects like civic educations, educational inter-national partnerships (https://ghanagermanypartnership.wordpress.com/), maternal health, HIV and AIDS, agriculture, women empowerment, COVID-19 and many more so as to cause change in communities in Ghana. Most of these activities are carried out through informal and non-formal education. YLF has been sponsoring vulnerable children with it partner schools (a case in point is St. Germain School Complex – www.saintgermainschool.org) to pursue various programs so that they can become good leaders in the future.Our vulnerable children in various schools can be categorized into three groups of sponsorship: Group 1: They constitute an extremely vulnerable group and have nowhere to go. As such they are identified and kept under the custody of the organization and raised as members of the YLF family. Group 2: This group of vulnerable children who are supported partially by their guardians and the organization takes care of the rest of their upkeep. Group 3: They constitute vulnerable groups that found in abuse homes or children in conflict with their parent or guardian. These vulnerable children (especially females) are removed from their abused homes until the conflict or abuse issues are fully resolved before they are integrated back into their families. The vulnerable children are supported by some few friends of the organization, well wishers, donors and internally generated funds of the organization through small scale farming activities and trading activities by the founder. YLF is looking forward to building a home to accommodate and train more children so that good culture and moral values will be inculcated into them.VISION STATEMENT: To create "A Just world without vulnerable children"MISSION STATEMENT: To improve the quality of life of children in communities by mobilizing the power of volunteers and generosity of donors.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: YLF believes in the future of vulnerable children irrespective of their age, sex, race and religious affiliation and therefore aims to achieve its vision and mission in the following ways: Work with volunteers, partner organizations and donors to 1. Improve the health of clients and communities 2. Support vulnerable children (less privileged and homeless children) with basic necessities in life such as food, medicine and cloth, etc. 3. Provide educational opportunities for every less privileged child in communities. 4. Provide safe environment for the Homeless. PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN SO FAR PROGRAMS: • Educational Aid for Child Development • Public Health Promotion • Women and Youth Empowerment • Research and Human Right Advocacy • Volunteer Exchange Programs • Agriculture Development1. EDUCATIONAL AID FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT: Started from August 1999 to date This program is still ongoing which covers the areas of caring for needy/vulnerable children by given them educational support to enrich their future. OUTREACH MONITORING: This project is also in conjunction with Health Educational programs, educational aid for Child development, and health education in communities and school’s programs which Young and Lonely Foundation had takes it upon itself to monitor villages within and around the district where vulnerable and less privileged children could be encountered. Through this, many children have been enrolled in schools from nursery to senior high schools.2. PUBLIC HEALTH PROMOTION EDUCATION IN COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS: Started from June 2004 to date This is a program that entails reaching out to vulnerable communities and schools to build their capacity for a better life, particularly women and children. Activities under this project include, HIV/AIDS, Health MDGs 4, 5 & 6 / SDGs, Reproductive Health, Behavioral Change Support (BCS) projects etc.3. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: Started in November 2006 and ended in November 2008. This project undertook greening Ghana initiative a legacy project of 50th Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence. YLF planted trees on the road side throughout the major street of Agona District and also distributed trees for free.4. WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT: Started from June 2004 to date This project is in conjunction with Health Education in Communities and Schools and is still ongoing. We do this by building the capacity of women as well as children so that they can be economically self sufficient in order to be able to survive in this "unsafe jungle". This project targets poor and hard working mothers and childless women in general who are looking forward to learn a trade so that they can take good care of their children and themselves. YOUTH AND CULTURE This project also is in conjunction with advocacy and research, under which many projects have already been done and it is still persisting of which Young and Lonely Foundation believes that it is essential that all of her children are aware of their histories and also acquire some skills like craft making, carpentry and many more as well as having a broad knowledge of other countries and their cultures, traditions, beliefs and languages.5. RESEARCH AND HUMAN RIGHT ADVOCACY: Started in 2006 till date. Under this program, Young and Lonely Foundation work to protect the rights of all the children and vulnerable adults in society, alerting them of their rights as citizens of Ghana and also providing them with vital information that will enable them actively demonstrate their own rights in future. ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH Started from this also is an ongoing program which have accomplished some of its objectives by creating platforms for some communities to demand for their rights as citizens in terms of access to clean water and many more through employment of democracy and good governance in order to bridge the gap between district assemblies, decentralized departments, and the various communities. Activities undertaken under this project include Health research and survey for children that will need help in various communities. 6. VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS: Started from May 2006 to date This is a lifelong program which involves foreign volunteers from different Countries coming to share their experiences and also acquire some skills from us. Under this program, uncountable number of volunteers from diverse countries had made their way through teaching, health care services, health education in communities and schools etc. 7. AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH This is an ongoing project since May 2008 under which the students and beneficiary communities are taught how to farm in both small and large scales, so as to be able to grow what they eat to minimize the frequency of hunger in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Unfortunately, all the piece of land used for the cultivation are leased ones, we therefore appeal to cooperate bodies and individual to offer us a helping handSTAFF CAPACITY YLF has permanent staff strength of six and a number of part time staff depending on project area expertise which includes the following;  Chief Executive Officer (CEO)  Program Manager/Finance  Project Coordinators  Secretary  Administrative and Accounts Manager (Part time)  Administrative Assistance (Part time)  Community Engagement Officer (Part time)  Field Officer (Part time)  Project focal persons (Part time)  Volunteers (Part time)IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS SINCE 1999 TO DATE IN ACCORDANCE 1. St. Germain School Complex – 1999 2. West Africa Aids Foundation – 2001 3. Youth Embassy Net – 2004 4. Agona District Assemblies – 2006 5. Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (Organizer) - 2006 6. Greening Ghana Initiatives – 2007 7. Ghana Aids Commission – 2007 8. Ghana Health Service – 2007 9. Ghana Education Service – 2007 10. Department of Social Welfare – 2007 11. Kokoado Youth Association – 2008 12. Adom Kuo Associations – PLHIVs (Founded) – 2008 13. Alliance for Reproductive Health Right – (ARHR) – 2008 14. Center for Community Studies, Action and Development – CENCOSAD – 2008 15. Hope for Future Generations – HFFG – 2009 16. Righteous Kingdom Foundation – 2009 17. Ghana MeTA (Essential Medicine Transparency Alliance) – 2009 18. Agricultural and Rural Development Association – (ARA) - 2009 19. Opportunities Industrializations Centers International – (OICI) – 2009 20. Plan – Ghana – 2010 21. Center for Development Partnership – CDP, Japan – 2010 22. USAID/Johns Hopkins University – JHU/BCS - 2010 23. Experiment e .V./experience it – 2010 24. Student and Youth Traveling Organization – SYTO - 2010 25. Vodafone Ghana Foundation – 2011 26. Hero Network – 2011 27. PAYOG – 2011 28. STAR – GHANA – 2012 29. United Way Ghana – 2012 30. TeamCSR-Ghana – 2012 31. Center for Outreach Programmes – CORPS – 2012 32. SEND-GHANA – 2012 33. CAMFED – 2013 34. Local Accountability Network – LANet (Organizer) – 2014 35. Agona West Coalition for Community Development – AWCCD (Organizer) – 2014 36. Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition – GACC – 2015 37. Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre – ALAC – 2015 38. National Population council – 2015 39. Learn2Change Network – Germany – 2015 40. ENSA (ENTWICKLUNGSPOLITISCHES SCHULAUSTAUSCH PROGRAMM) Germany – 2018 41. German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. – 2018 42. BBS1 School GIFHORN – Germany – 2018 43. International Research Centre for Renewable Energy – IFEED, Germany – 2018 44. GIZ / German Cooperation – Gov.I.D. (AWMA Social Audit Committee – SAC) - 2018 45. Ghana Integrity Initiative – GII (Facilitator) – 2019 46. Local Governance Network – LOGNet – 2019 47. CDD – Ghana – 2019 48. Dominion Leaders Foundation – 2019 49. Salvation Army – Ghana - 2019 50. Marigold School Complex - 2020 51. Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) - 2020 52. Flying Eagles Montessori School – 2020YLF ORGANISATIONAL CHART Below are the structural units of the organisation. The structure is basically made up of the Executive office (BOD, ED, DED), Finance Department, Corporate Affairs Department and Program department with six units. A secretariat provides service for all departments. The Country offices are indicated in anticipation of the future expansion of the organisation into other countries.