Good afternoon.  I am delighted to be here today to support the Government of Ghana’s Care Reform Initiative.  When we protect Ghana’s orphaned and abandoned children, we give them the opportunity to grow into healthy, productive adults.

This issue could not be more important.  There are more than one million orphans in Ghana, and too many of them are languishing in unlicensed, inadequate orphanages.  These children are all too often subjected to violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.  They are not even guaranteed the most basic necessities—things like food, water, clothing, education and health care.  In these conditions, they are robbed of the chance to grow, learn, and thrive.

Since 2006, the Government of Ghana’s Care Reform Initiative has been central to protecting the country’s most deprived.  The Initiative works to provide a safety net for vulnerable families and help them improve their health and their incomes.  In cases where children do become orphaned or abandoned, the government seeks to find devoted, caring families to take care of them—through the child’s extended family, a foster family, or an adopted family. 

These efforts are to be applauded, but there is much work ahead of us.  In the past 10 years, there has been little change in the number of children stuck in orphanages. 

It is my hope that our partnership will enable us to make a real dent in these numbers.  Through USAID's Displaced Children and Orphans Fund, we will support the Government of Ghana’s Care Reform Initiative.  We will work alongside the Ministry so it can better protect Ghana’s most vulnerable. 

Our partnership is not only about the children though—it is about all of us, and the Ghana of tomorrow.

History is filled with people who faced adversity as children but grew up to move mountains.  And, of course, orphans and children raised in orphanages have been among them.  However, we all benefit when we give children the best possible foundation on which to build their future.  We all benefit when we come together to ensure every child is raised in a stable, nurturing environment, rather than leaving their success to happenstance. 

The partnership we are celebrating today will ensure that Ghana’s future movers and shakers have the chance to thrive.  I would like to thank the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and UNICEF for being such staunch partners in the quest to improve lives.  I look forward to working with you to stamp out illegal orphanages, end modern-day child slavery, and improve child health and nutrition.  I look forward to working with you to ensure each and every child in Ghana can receive an education, get the food and care they need, and grow into the adults who will make this country and the world a better place.

Thank you.