Mission Statement

The Ark offers to marginalized, abused, and victimized women, and children, a refuge of safety from where the individual may realize their own strength to face again the challenges of this world. The Ark strives to enable and empower individuals to live their lives without fear of violence or oppression from another human being.

Goals & Objectives

We seek to advocate the protection and promotion of the human rights and development needs of women, children and other disadvantaged groups.

We seek to advocate the dismantling of systems and attitudes that dehumanize women, children and the disadvantaged through policy advocacy, public education and engagement with active civil society groups that have similar goals.

We seek to provide integrated support services to women and children who are victims of gender – based violence and abuse within the domestic or public spheres.

Background

The Ark Foundation, Ghana, (hereafter referred to as The Ark) is a human rights, advocacy – based, non-governmental, not-for-profit, independent, organization founded, registered and based in Ghana, West Africa. Its primary purpose is to seek the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and children.

Status

Established in 1995 and originally called Care Foundation Ghana, it was registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee with Registration Number G-166 by the Registrar of Companies. In 1998, its name was changed to The Ark Foundation, Ghana, with the same registration status. It started operating fully in February 1999. In August 2000, The Ark was granted recognition as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) by the Department of Social Welfare, Ghana.

Foundational Principles

The Ark is founded on Biblical Christian principles of love, mercy and justice. It recognizes the ideals enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other major United Nations treaties and Conventions speaking to equality, dignity and social justice for all men and women.

Work Philosophy

The philosophy under girding the work of The Ark is two dimensional – the quest to be both proactive and reactive, to prevent and to cure, to attack the roots and at the same time to deal with the fruits. The Ark’s programs and activities seek to rid society of attitudes and practices which nurture and tolerate discrimination, abuse and violence against women and children, hence the strong emphasis on advocacy, training and education under the WLHRI Program.

However, dealing with the reality that one out of three women has suffered physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner, and child abuse in all its forms is prevalent in Ghana (Gender Centre National Research, 1999), the CRC Project offers the kind of services necessary to respond to flagrant abuse of human rights – abuse of rights to dignity, security and liberty, and the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman degrading treatment or punishment, which is the lot of many women and children in our society today.

Vision

A society in which men and women are truly equal in all spheres and endeavors of life……