Story of Felicia Continued Part 3
After the information we received from the Sunyani CHRAJ (Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice) authorities, an appointment was scheduled to meet the authorities for further discussions concerning the case of Felicia and to visit her at the orphanage.
On arrival at the CHRAJ office in Sunyani on Friday 10th May, we were welcomed by the CHRAJ team that assisted in conducting the case of Felicia. Pastor Appiah Kubi, the Acting Regional Coordinator and Madam Lukaiya Claudia who are in charge of the CHRAJ department explained to us the implications that were involved with the mission to rescue Felicia.
According to their story, they explained to the “uncles” of Felicia how important education is for the child, and that they should allow the girl to go to school. After a second failed attempt to negotiate with the uncles, the CHRAJ were in a position to enforce an arrest on the uncles before releasing Felicia from child labor. Further investigation also revealed that the so-called uncles of Felicia were not really her uncles, but rather in charge of grooming Felicia for marriage, which is part of their custom. So their fear was that if Felicia will be educated and will come to realize that such an act is against the Law and against her own right, she would refuse to be under such custom or bondage.
After the rescue, Felicia was sent to an orphanage under protection of the authorities who demanded that no one would visit her without notifying CHRAJ. After a couple of days after the uncles have been granted bail, they pleaded with the assemblyman of the village to request Felicia back to the village on their behalf, professing that they are now prepared to send Felicia to school. However the authorities refused on the basis that the uncles could now plan to reallocate Felicia so that no organization could locate and help her.
Felicia’s first moments at the orphanage were a bit anxious and quiet. However after a couple of hours, she was excited and happy when she realized that she could now enjoy her freedom and play in a safe environment. At midday, the CWAF team together with CHRAJ visited the orphanage Centre Mums Love and made some donations to Felicia and the kids at the orphanage. Some of these kids were at the local hospital for a routine checkup of their health. Others were there to be registered as new comers at the health insurance office. Two young volunteers from Germany were assisting on the visit to the hospital.
The joy and tremendous change we noticed in Felicia was exciting to see. According to the owner of the orphanage, Mr. Adams, Felicia is doing a tremendous work to help bath the little kids and play with them. She is very active, sober and enjoys working with the volunteers all the time even when other kids are relaxing; she loves being part of the working team. Mr. Adams also reports that she has become a great example to other girls at the center in working together to create a happy home.
At the orphanage, Mr. Adams introduced us to the happy kids that were playing around. The smiles on their faces were awesome to see. He took us around to explain to us how he has been able to run the orphanage all by himself from the start with a little help from volunteers. He also explained to us the situation of some of these kids. He recently took in babies of 3 months old and younger that were found on the streets in the Brong-Ahafo region, abandoned without anyone caring for them.
After the tour around the orphanage, we thanked the human rights team and Mr. Adams with their wonderful work in the region for these kids.
Food, slippers, shoes, clothes, exercise books, soaps, toys and sheets were donated by CWAF to Felicia and the kids at the orphanage. CWAF is sponsoring Felicia with the help of our faithful donors to make sure that Felicia has a better future and will be able to continue her education.
Many other children live in serious conditions, so we plead with everyone to partner with CWAF to help and rescue these children and help build, improve and save lifes. Below you can see a picture of Eugene Koree together with the CHRAJ Team, Sunyani.
