Introduction:
Every child in this world deserves a life of dignity and hope. Some children are lucky to be born into environments where hope and dignity are not as far reaching as others. The Tetreman Association of USA (TAUSA) is fully committed under the 3C Program to helping children in Tetrem and its environs for attaining the dignity and hope in life. It is modeled after the much successful Sun Child Sponsorship Program that won international acclaim and recognition.
The 3C Program is designed to give the poorest and most underprivileged children the opportunity to become productive and independent citizens of society through support in education. The program focuses on the child’s core developmental stages and needs, and is aimed at reducing dropout rates, absenteeism, deviant behavior and truancy in attending school. It seeks to provide quality education and its associated needs like basic healthcare and by so doing promote and protect their individual rights while instilling in them discipline, self-reliance and appreciation of life. The children learn how to maintain their health, nutrition and security and through education acquire useful skills to work.
This is how the 3C Program works……… A child born in America to parents who originally come from Tetrem or are associated with Tetrem in any way, will contribute only $12 a month (US $144 per year) to the educational upliftment of another child born or resident in Tetrem or its environs. The American child, SPONSOR, will pick their choice from a list of NEEDY children and CONNECT with the selected child by providing most of his or her critical educational needs with the contributions they make. We encourage young American children to become co-sponsors along with their parents. This enables them to better understand the causes of poverty and disadvantaged life. It also encourages them to be emphatic toward others and to be more appreciative of their life.
3C Program Goals
- Provide opportunity for education to children who are not as fortunate
- Connect the cultural, social and economic well being of children from parents of similar decent and aspirations (one in US and the other in Ghana)
- Promote children’s emotional and intellectual development
- Provide material assistance for the child in the form of books, pens, pencils, uniforms, clothes, blankets, shoes, eye glasses, etc
- Support school improvements including training in modern teaching methods and better educational materials
- Support community development including safe drinking water, and life education for adults
- Provide clean water and nutritious food during school times and emergencies
3C Program Procedures
- Survey and select children who meet certain criteria
- Form a six to eight member Advisory Committee with representatives from the teachers, and other respected members of the community. The committee establishes the selection criteria in consultation with TAUSA and identifies the most vulnerable children in the community. Some of these criteria include: children in age from 6-12 years old from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds; children who have never attended school or dropped out; children who work or support parents instead of going to school; abandoned or orphaned children; children who are from the poorest of the poor families but show promise of education. The committee creates two lists: 1) for those who dropped out in the last few years and 2) for those of high academic caliber in danger of dropping out due to poverty
- Set up a local field office in or close to Tetrem and engage a field officer and provide him with training to run the program
- Field Officer visits individual households and convinces the parents to bring the child back to school. He will be responsible for providing regular reports on the child as well as reporting the overall progress of the program to the Chief and Elders and TAUSA as required
- Make a formal written agreement with the parents to bring the child back to school.
- Tetrem Chief presents the qualified children selected by the advisory committee for sponsorship
- Find a sponsor in the USA and send information and photograph of the student to the sponsor.
- Provide child with basic life educational necessities including health care.
- Supervise and monitor each child via the local field officer and the local advisory committee
- Establish continued contact between American children and the sponsored children through letters, drawings and greeting cards
- Promote periodic travel exchanges between the sponsor and sponsored to have a face-to-face meeting and build personal friendship.
Cost of Sponsorship and Distribution of Funds
The 3C Program requires a contribution of $12 per month (US $144 per year) to sponsor a child in Tetrem or its environs.
Of each $12 monthly donation
- $9 is used to provide children with basic necessities:
Notebooks (3), Pencil (2), Pen (2), Eraser (1), Sharpener (1), Ruler, Drawing Board, Color Pencil Box, English Word Book, Pencil Box, School Forms – Khaki short, pants, dress, School shoes (1pair), Socks (2 pairs), School Bag, Soap (2 kinds), Comb, Sandals, Toothbrush, Toothpaste (200gm), Health check up by Doctor or Healthcare Professional, AND basic medicine supply
- $3 is spent on program running costs such as hiring a field officer, doctor’s fees, office costs, website maintenance and other incidental/associated costs.