Angela Dwamena-Aboagye: I started operating Ark Foundation from my room

The executive director of the Ark Foundation, Dr Angela Dwamena-Aboagye has said injustices towards women and children is what motivated her to establish the Ark Foundation.

The Ark Foundation which established the first shelter in Ghana for battered women and children in 1999 is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

It offers vulnerable, distressed and abused persons, in particular women and children, compassionate care and empowering spaces to live without fear of violence or oppression from others.

Appearing on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (17 April), Dwamena-Aboagye said she started the Ark Foundation from her room.

“Growing up, I observed that there are certain injustices towards women that led me to form the Ark Foundation to address some of these injustices towards women.

“I started in my room and later moved to rent a bigger office. I worked with the police and social welfare departments to handle such cases of abuse and other injustices in our society.”

“We are 25 years old and God has blessed our foundation with talented professionals to help us come this far,” Dwamena-Aboagye said.

Listen to excerpts of the interview in the attached audio clip below: 

About Ark Foundation

The Ark was legally registered in Ghana in 1995. However it began formally operating from February, 1999. It was founded by its executive director, Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, a lawyer and a Women’s empowerment Advocate.

It has been governed by a board of directors and its Management Team, headed by the Executive Director. The organization has been supported by core staff, volunteers and interns from national and international educational institutions.

In services provision, the organization established the first Shelter in Ghana for battered women and children in 1999. Together with its Crises Centre in Haatso, the Counseling Centre in Tontro, Eastern Region, and the Legal Centre in New Town, Accra, The Ark provided counseling, legal aid, small assistance grants, shelter, rehabilitation and resettlement to over 3000 persons, majority being abused women and children between 1999 and 2016.

The cases handled by the anti-violence programme of The Ark included domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, neglect, abuse and non-maintenance of children, child trafficking, child marriage and other harmful traditional practices. These were done in collaboration with the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, medical, judicial and social services agencies.

Employing the strategies of policy and legislative advocacy, training and education, The Ark played a spearheading role with like-minded organisations in the reform of legislation to deal with issues such as domestic violence, female genital mutilation, and other relevant legislation and policies geared towards better protection of women and children from abuse and violations in the country. The Ark has trained several police, medical, judicial and NGO practitioners and personnel in these issues across Ghana.

The organization also set up a mobile training institute which targeted young women between ages 18 – 40 for leadership development. Named Women’s Law and Human Rights Institute, about 1000 young women benefitted from this program between 2001 and 2015.

In conjunction with other women-focused organizations, The Ark spearheaded the formation of a number of civil society networks and coalitions, including Sisters’ Keepers, Gender Violence Survivors’ Support Network, the Network for Women’s Rights, the National Coalition on Domestic Violence Legislation and the Ghana National Coalition on Rights of Children.

In public education, the organisation reached more than two million persons through schools, markets, streets, churches, hospitals and other public spaces outreaches, across rural and urban populations in particular with its anti-violence against women and children campaigns.

Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra

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