The DSW unit head of Ga East Municipal Assembly informed the Regional Director about the above RHC. The Regional office and the district went to inspect the said home and based on our inspection, we noticed the said home unauthorized. The director of the home, Jane Gerbs, was informed that the operation of the home is illegal and also met with other staff of the home during the visit and had interactions with them.Forever True Friends Foundation foster home and Children’s shelter is a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) licensed with the Non-Profit Organization Secretariat under the name FOREVER TRUE FRIENDS with license No: NPOS/GR01/LN0173/22.The NPO license for the organization expired on 9th March, 2023.Forever True Friends Foundation foster home and Children’s shelter has no license from Department of Social Welfare to operate as a Residential Home for Children.The Home houses 21 children comprising Nine (9) males and Twelve (12) females with ages ranging from 3-18 years.Four (4) rooms at the residence serves as sleeping rooms for the children.There are nine (9) males occupying one (1) room and four (4) females each occupying the remaining three (3) rooms.The kitchen which is an erected metal structure with a wooden door is situated next to the male’s sleeping room and the surrounding gets flooded whenever it rains.Foodstuffs and drinking water are not properly stored and food is prepared under poor hygienic conditions making the transmission of pathogens very easy.
Children in the facility are brought in by Community members, caregivers or biological parents mostly from the Central, Ashanti, Volta and Northern regions.The residence has five (5) caregivers who are Junior High School and Senior High School graduates and are not trained.There are no care plans for the children.Eighteen (18) out of Twenty-one (21) children have been registered on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) but their NHIS cards are not valid.Activities in the home are mainly financed by friends, relatives and individual donors.There were expired medications in the first aid box.The children are also given boiled herbs as medication. These herbs are boiled in dirty pans with no lids which can adversely affect the health of the children.