In 1996, CARE started implementing an STD/HIV/AIDS prevention project in gold mining areas. In 1997, CARE initiated a basic and girls' education project in the same area. Later on, CARE diversified its activities and expanded its interventions to other parts of the country. CARE is now working in reproductive health, micro-enterprise development, microfinance, basic and girls' education, community management of natural forest and, more recently, food security.

© 2000 Tim Zielenbach/Contact Press Images

CARE's mission in Ghana is to enable the underprivileged and the broader society to realize their potential, and help to strengthen the linkages between them. To achieve this, CARE's programs focus on several intermediate goals, including :

• Increasing the access, demand and quality of reproductive health services, using an integrated approach;
• Improving access to financial services for farm and non-farm micro-enterprise operators;
• Increasing revenues of agricultural and related enterprises;
• Improving attendance, retention and performance in basic education;
• Providing functional non-formal education for young adults and out-of-school youth;
• Creating a greater sense of accountability among local government and service providers towards their clients and the population, and improving the quality of services.

The foundation for all these efforts is based on strengthening the civil society organizations and developing linkages within society.

CARE operates through a central office in Accra, and four field offices located in Tarkwa, Obuasi, Takoradi and Tamale. In 1999, CARE's operations in Ghana, Togo and Benin were merged, and CARE Gulf of Guinea's central office was set up in Ghana's capital city of Accra.

Click here for more detailed information about CARE projects in Ghana.

About CARE:
CARE is one of the world's largest private international relief and development organizations, dedicated to eliminating the complex problem of poverty. With projects in more than 60 countries, CARE directly improved the lives of more than 25 million people in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean in 1999.

Media are invited to visit CARE projects.
Contact: In Atlanta, Lynn Heinisch 404-681-2552, ext. 453, heinisch@care.org