Newsletter – Winter 2023
-
by
A huge thank you to all our supporters, with warmest wishes for a joyful and a prosperous new year. It truly has been an extraordinary year for us. This is a round-up of everything we have achieved in 2023, with the help of our donors. Whether you have donated money or your time, we simply couldn’t have done any of this without your generosity. So, once again. Thank you.
If you would prefer to be updated about our work on a more frequent basis, please do follow us on social media. Simply click on our icons above in the header to be taken to our official accounts.
In December, Beauty, one of the children in our care, graduated from University of Education, Winneba in Ghana with a Second Class Upper, and the graduation ceremony will be taking place early this year. Beauty, born deaf and dumb will not have had this opportunity without our support. Two of our children, completed Junior High, and is now in Senior High, with the other child completing Senior High with flying colours. All the rest of the children are doing well and thriving.
It is a heart-breaking reality that there are estimated to be over one million orphaned children in Ghana. Left to fend for themselves, many have to resort to living on the streets, selling whatever they can for food. Without even the basics, they grow up alone, lacking a sense of self-worth or any kind of prospect for a better future.
We don’t think that is right. And neither do you.
We are thrilled to update you on the progress of our major building projects in Ghana. Sovereign House GH has been working within a Ghanaian community to build a fully-equipped blue-print Children’s Home and Mission House.
And so it is with thanks to your generous donations, Sovereign House GH has almost completed work building a Children’s Home, which will house and educate many Ghanaian orphans, giving them a safe and loving environment in which to develop, learn and grow to reach their full potential.
We have also built a nearby Mission House, which will provide a hub for volunteer doctors, teachers, students and other professionals to work with the children, and within and around the neighbourhood.
The construction of both buildings have already created a mass of job opportunities for members of the community, enriching their lives and allowing their locality to grow and prosper.
Both structures are completed; tiling, joinery, first coat painting, roofing, etc. have all been done. The window and door frames have been reinforced for durability, and a new security gate, electric fence and alarm system has been installed to keep the whole site safe and secure.
Power and other utilities are all hooked up, including the installation of Bio Gas from the waste to generate energy for the facility. We are just finishing off linking up the water service line to a sustainable water source (drilling of a borehole) to ensure that our presence is as environmentally friendly as possible.
We are so very close to improving a great many individuals’ lives. We just need a final little boost to get us across the finishing line.
At present we are approximately £25,000 short of our ultimate goal.
We know you have already given so graciously, and we also know that the current cost of living crisis in the UK and around the world is forcing everybody to scrutinise every amount they spend. But if you are able to spare it, we would be extremely grateful for anything you can afford to give towards changing the lives and ensuring a substantially better future for not just the children, but the wider Ghanaian community that they will support. Thank you.
You can find more photographs and details about the construction process and end result for both the Children’s Home and the Mission House in the links.
Your donations also help to make a radical difference to the lives of children closer to home. Here in the UK, your generosity has allowed us to offer our Computer Learning Programme to children and adults struggling with digital poverty, for the fifth consecutive year.
The classes, delivered by staff and volunteers, teach coding, project constructs, game design, SQL, cybersecurity and more. In fact, in 2023, Sovereign House GH was awarded Cyber Essentials Plus certification for our commitment and in teaching cybersecurity!
Once again, we have been inundated with messages from parents and students thanking us for supporting them to achieve grades of 7, 8 and 9 (the modern equivalent of an A or A* grade) in their GCSEs in 2023.
But it isn’t only academically that our students excel; the classes offer children the chance to enhance their life skills and to develop as individuals, nurturing their interests and empowering them to reach their full potential.
It is little wonder then that our classes have been in such high demand that we have extended the programme to a larger learning environment in central Bury as well, and looking to open an additional hub in Salford.
We are excited to announce that we have also begun offering courses to adults, with a cohort for those over the age of 50, to help them escape the restrictions of digital poverty too. The premier 6-week run of these classes began in November and concluded with the participants feeling empowered, knowing how to use their devices efficiently. It has been a huge success. If you are over 50 and are interested in improving your digital skills, click the button to enrol on our next wave of classes. These classes will be rolled out to adults in different age groups, targeting specific and niche digital skills training.
Funding our Classes
As well as our individual donors, Sovereign House GH would like to say a huge thank you to the various funding bodies who have helped us with our work in 2023 offering our digital and life skills project through the Computer Learning Programme.
We have gratefully received:
- £2,000 grant from Bury VCFA
- £10,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund
- £5,000 from Forever Manchester & Cellnex Digital Inclusion Fund
- £2,821 from the Salford CVS Wellbeing & Volunteers Fund
- £500 through Localgiving’s Magic Little Grants
- £10,574 from SIB through Reach Fund
We have achieved a lot during the year, both in Ghana and in the UK. We are excited for the grand opening of both the Children’s Home and the Mission House, and also to see how far we can expand our reach with where and how we offer our computer education programme.
And none of this would be possible without your continued support; every single donation makes a significant impact to individuals’ lives. So we may have said it once already, but again…thank you for your support and best wishes for 2024.
