A small non-profit organization that changes the lives of slum children
'African Angel' cannot be a Squidoo charity, as only US charities can join. Therefore, royalties settings for this lens are to me, and I will then forward the proceeds to African Angel.
All images on this page are copyright of African Angel, except where stated otherwise.
Harriet, a girl from the wealthy side of town
African Angel is a Germany-based organisation that was founded in 2002 by Harriet Bruce-Annan, an adorable woman from Ghana, and six friends of hers. Harriet is 'the' African Angel. She was born and raised in Accra, the capital of Ghana, in a well-off town quarter, and received a good education. Here is a picture of her as little girl. I think she looks like a little angel already :o). How little Harriet found out about slum living conditions
Harriet frequently visited her grandmother in Bukom, one of the poorest quarters of Accra. Here I quote from the African Angel website, where it says: 'There were kids of her age who did not have enough food, no clean and proper cloth, slept with many other kids on the floor; and what appeared to her worst of all, was they had no money in order to attend school to have an education.' This made a deep impression on little Harriet, and from then on she had a dream of offering help to the children of Bukom. Some quick facts about Ghana
Population: 23 million. Ethnic groups, languages and dialects present in Ghana can be counted by the dozens. Official language is English. It is also the standard language used for educational instruction.
Image source: Wikipedia/Creative Commons by Rei-artur
The following figures were taken from the Indicator Tables of the Human Development Report 2007/2008, published for the United Nations Development Programme:
Ghana's place on the human development index: 135 of 177 countries (US: place 12)
Health: Life expectancy at birth: 59.1 years (US: 77.9 years) + Probability at birth of not surviving to age 40: 23.8% (US probability of not surviving to age 60: 11.6%) + People not using improved water source: 25% (US: 0%) + Under weight for age (under age 5): 22% + Under 5 mortality rate per 1000 live births: 112 (US: 7) + Physicians per 100,000 people: 15 (US: 256)
Education: Illiteracy rate aged 15 and older: 42.1% (US: 1%) + Net primary enrolment rate 65% (US: 92%) + Net secondary enrolment rate 37% (US: 89%) + Internet users per 1000 people: 18 (US: 630)
Industry: GDP per capita (PPP US$): 2.48 (US: 41.89) + Population below income poverty line: $1 a day: 44.8%, $2 a day 78.5%, national poverty line 39.5% + Electricity consumption per capita: 289 kilowatt hours (US: 14,240) + Electrification rate: 49% (US: 100%) + GDP per unit of energy use (2000 PPP US$ per kg of oil equivalent): 5.4 (US: 4.6) + CO2 emissions per capita: 0.3 t (US: 20.6 t)
Making a difference on a shoestring budget?
However, she was not lucky, her marriage did not work out, and she found herself in a position where her only chance to support herself was to work as a cleaner at the Düsseldorf Messe (The Exhibitions and Fairs Park of Düsseldorf, her home city in western Germany). But here the story turns impressive: In spite of the hardship she had gone through, she had not given up her dream of helping the children from Bukom. Therefore, she accepted a second cleaning job for the evening hours at a Düsseldorf pub, and the money she earned there she saved for the children.African Angel was founded in 2002 by Harriet plus six fellow supporters. Since then, they have been fundraising by the means possible for such a small organization. The image shows a poster advertising the 1st birthday-fundraising party held in the pub where Harriet worked her evening shifts.
As far as I can see, African Angel spend very little money on fundraising till today. Luckily, they received coverage from quite a number of local media, and gained new members as a result (and I am one of them).
A new life for slum kids
This is the story of how the first 26 children moved in, as told on the African Angel website:
'On 14 September, 2004 was the day when 26 children from Bukom, after having been medically examined in a hospital, got the chance to look forward to a new beginning. They moved into a rented house Harriet was able to procure. This meant they were able to enjoy having their own bed to sleep in, eat regular meals, and a supply with a number of new clothing.
Apparently, Harriet had beds only for 24 children, but 2 additional kids, with all the excitement, had manage to smuggle themselves into the mini bus which carried the children to be checked in the hospital. The bus was crowded after the head-count had completed. Harriet was also too excited, at the time, and did not observe that the head count, unknowingly to her, had slightly increased.
After the medical check, the hospital gave Harriet the bill, stating the charges covered a total of 26 children. She complained, but then decided to do a re-count again, only to find out she too arrived at the same number. Not being able to leave these two kids behind, she had to quickly organise two extra mattresses. Now every child had to take its turn to sleep one night on a mattress on the floor. That's how she managed to have 26 instead of the original 24 children into the initial programme.'

Initially, Harriet employed two women to share the house, cook and care for the children. And, very importantly, she arranged a place in a good school or kindergarten for everyone. None of them had gone to school before, but once given the chance, many of them advanced very fast and achieved good marks. In many cases children were able to advance to higher classes ahead of time. All children also are members of the Sakumomo Presbyterian Church. At least twice a week they attend church services and join in Sunday school activities or singing lessons.
Relocating a gang of children
and expanding the home
From the African Angel website:
'German Ambassador opens African Angel's new house in Accra!
It was quite exhausting in labour and time for Harriet over the past 2 months. When the German Embassy informed her that His Excellency, Dr. Marius Haas, and his wife, planned to attend the opening ceremony of the African Angel Home on the 17th February, Harriet was quite overwhelmed. She had actually planned and catered for only a big children's party with coke, chips and funny games, with no Dignitary in mind.
Spontaneously Harriet organised a more festive event with official speeches, and the National Anthems of both countries being sung by our Bukom children. As the Ghana Television and News Agencies were reporting the event, special scissors had to be purchased, so that the Ambassador could cut the traditional ribbon.
In the end, the day was mere happiness and joy: The Ambassador brought presents for our children, who welcomed their guests with waving flags and dances. It was also an exciting day for Harriet as well, who enjoyed and appreciated the official recognition of her work by the German Government.'
Since the foundation of her children's home, Harriet goes back to Ghana every year during her holiday. She uses the opportunity to spend time with the children and arrange the affairs of the home. This includes the purchase of building materials for the new house and supervision of the construction work. When these tasks are completed, she returns to her cleaning job in Germany.Image: Harriet and two newly arrived children after the relocation to the new home.
Current work and aims
Education is the key
African Angel state in their goals: 'School education and qualified professional training are the keys to open the door for these girls and boys being born chanceless in this world, in their own country. Education and training is the key for them to move forward into a life of pride, dignity and self-confidence.'
Currently, African Angel accommodates 49 children of preschool to teenage. They are provided with food, social and medical care, and education. The aim is to well provide for these children, and to accommodate more in the future if financial resources permit. A current project is to finish the construction of a third building on the premises that will be able to accommodate more children and a library. The first (basement) floor of this house was built during Harriet's last year's visit, and the second floor during her visit this year. A report of this is part of the account of her visit this year, to which you find a link below.
The organisation currently has around 230 members. Its German branch is exclusively run by volunteers. In Ghana, the children of Bukom are cared for by ten employees of African Angel. Three of them are guards working in three shifts to protect the estate.
Watch African Angel children dancing
Latest news from Harriet's trip to Accra this year
Harriet left for her yearly visit to Ghana end of March this year and was scheduled to return early June. In the end, she returned in mid-August, as there were various unexpected problems to solve. There is now a report available on news and activities that took place during Harriet's stay. The report is in German, but I made a translation.... You can read it here.
Harriet's work in animated pictures
- Children of Love - Harriet, an Angel from Africa
- This is a 5-minute-piece of the German international TV channel.
- 50 Cents Can Change the World
- A short spot about Harriet on LinkTV
More info
The 'African Angel' website
How you can help
- The smallest effort: Promote this lens by rating, commenting, lensrolling, digging, voting for at lensroll.com, or linking to this site to increase traffic (this will spread the word) and to help keeping a good lensrank (this will earn a little for African Angel).
- Have a look at the Ghana- and Africa-related products displayed towards the bottom of this page.
- Currently, donations of English language children's books are needed to fill the library. In case you have some that you would like to get rid of you can post them to African Angel's office in Düsseldorf, from where they will be shipped to Ghana by sea together with other donated items. Their address is: African Angel e.V., Derendorfer Str. 89, 40479 Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Donate a little money, preferably via PayPal. Their PayPal address is info@african-angel.de
Remember, the motto is
(as analogy to the tips that Harriet receives in her cleaning jobs):
50 Cents Can
Change the World
If you prefer making a donation by bank transfer,
please find the details at the bottom of this page.
"Ye da mu ase, Nyame enshira mu"
The children of Bukom will thank you for your interest and your kind support, saying "Nye yiwala donn agbo agboi" ("Many thanks" in Ga) and "Ye da mu ase, Nyame enshira mu" ("Thank you and God bless you" in Twi).
Master Weaver from Ghana
'Notable Book for Children' -- Smithsonian Institution, 1998
Amazon Price: $14.04 (as of 12/19/2009)![]()
I think this is a cool book for everyone who is a little into other cultures and has children. Readers learn about family and community life in a fishing village and the art of Kente strip weaving through the eyes of Kweku, the young son of master weaver Bobbo. Every page has color photos of African homes, markets, people, and cloth patterns. Recommended for children aged 4 - 8 years.
Kente Cloth
Featured in 'Master Weaver from Ghana'
Coming across the book displayed above made me dip a little into Kente cloth. Isn't it truly beautiful? Here is some of what I found out about it.Kente cloth is, as I have read, the best known of all African textiles. It is a silk fabric made of individual woven strips that are later sewed together. In Ghana, Kente is made by several people, including the Asante, Fante and Nzema. It is outstanding for its bright and multicolored patterns, and was the cloth of kings in ancient Ghana. Still today, it is only worn on special occasions.
Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. Of the simplest style, an experienced weaver can make several strips in one day. For others, it can take up to four days to complete a single strip. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.
Photo used under Creative Commons from whiteafrican.
Please also scroll down to the ebay shop if you would like to see some more Kente cloth examples!
Please share your thoughts!
I would be happy to know if the story of Harriet impressed you as much as it impresses me. And of course, any other kind of comment is more than welcome, too!
-
Reply
- Cajean Cajean Dec 5, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
- Lovely worthwhile lens for you & Harriet,and especially the very needy Ghanian children. 5*, faved, rolled and fanned! There's NO competition in caring for OVCs anywhere in Africa. Keep up the good work! :-)
-
Reply
- Quirina Quirina Dec 6, 2009 @ 7:15 am
- Thank you, Cajean! The Noah's Ark project you represent and African Angel have a lot in common, and so I added your lens to my featured lenses module. Hope this will send some traffic your way!
-
Reply
- pinkpig pinkpig Dec 4, 2009 @ 10:38 am
- Very worthy cause. You know its so difficult to know which charity to support most- I have a lens on human trafficking-
http://www.squidoo.com/stopthetraffik
which highlights the awful truth about child slaves being used to make the chocolate we will be stuffing ourselves with this Christmas!Hope your readers here might check it out too.I've 5 starred /faved your lens-its is amazing
-
Reply
- andreaberrios andreaberrios Nov 27, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
- Wonderful cause, I love this lens, very nice presented! 5*
-
Reply
- skiesgreen skiesgreen Nov 19, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
- This is a fantastic example of passion and fulfillment. Great topic and well presented 5* fave and lens rolled.
Norma
- Load More
Some other lenses to try
-
Freitag messenger bags: One-of-a-kind and eco-friendly
-
Used truck tarpaulins, used car safety belts and used inner tubing of bicycle tires: These items might otherwise be considered as garbage, but in 1993, two design students in Switzerland constructed a weatherproof messenger bag for the...
-
Cancer care in Africa
-
Lydia is a young mother and university lecturer in Uganda, who has been diagnosed with HER2-neu, a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. Survival rates for patients with HER2 were relatively low compared to other forms of breast cancer, but...
-
Young@Heart Chorus: Never too old to rock!
-
The members of Young @ Heart Chorus are pensioners of an average age of 80. The chorus' repertoire somewhat contrasts with the members' own primary musical taste, as they exclusively perform rock and pop songs. Based in Northampton, MA, they...
-
NoahsArkOrphanCare-Malawi,Africa
-
In the fall of 2008, as our work with Noah's Ark Orphan Care in Blantyre, Malawi, Africa continued to expand, I was asked to serve as NAOC Treasurer, USA- in addition to our treasurer in Malawi. Noah's Ark Orphan Care (or NAOC) is a Communi...
Encore: Life in Ghana on Amazon
Ghana: An African Portrait Revisited
In 1963, master twentieth-century photographer Paul Strand documented Ghana, the first sub-Saharan colony to become an independent country. On the fiftieth anniversary of Ghana's independence, six New Hampshire photographers journeyed to the West African country to document the changes that occurred over the decades. This full color book covers education, medicine, fishing, crafts, markets, and many portraits of everyday life.
Once upon a Time in Ghana: Traditional Ewe Stories Retold in English
"This collection of original and traditional stories really is by the people, for the people. ... All the money made from the book goes to the storytellers as we identify projects, which will help raise their standard of living. This book is therefore the expression of so much, of long tradition, of beliefs, of faith in the past and of hope for the future."
Prose and Poetry by Ghanaian Writers
Our Sister Killjoy
Out of Africa with her degree and her all-seeing eyes comes Sisse. She comes to Europe, to a land of towering mountains and low grey skies and tries to make sense of it all.

Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by





