About PCO Ghana

history

The Population Caring Organization was founded in May 2003 in response to the needs of Liberian refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Settlement in Ghana. At the time, Buduburam was home to more than 42,000 refugees from the Liberian civil war. PCO was founded by Mr. Emmanuel G.V. Dolo, a Liberian refugee living in Ghana. Emmanuel and his colleagues saw the need to volunteer their time to the cause of improving the living conditions of suffering people, address the lack of access to quality education, the tensions between different tribal groups represented in the camp, and the need for training and employment opportunities for war-affected, single mothers.

mission and commitment

Population Caring Organization is a humanitarian NGO dedicated to the well being of vulnerable people in West Africa, especially Liberians and Ghanaians. We aim to:

• Acknowledge the many crises facing young West Africans – including war and ethnic animosity, displacement, poverty, lack of education, pandemic illnesses, sexual violence and labor exploitation;

• Acknowledge that young people represent the future of their countries, and that these continuing crises affect the social, political, economic and cultural well being of the entire West African region

PCO aims to educate and empower young people, nurture the development towards responsible, peaceful, creative and productive citizens.

Our key efforts in creating a better future for young people and vulnerable women in West Africa are directed at the following activities:

• Provision of direct literacy and numerical programs to the most disadvantaged children and women in Liberian and Ghanaian communities;
• Provision of skill training programs to young people and women in an effort to develop sustainable livelihoods;
• Promotion of a culture of peace and democracy;
• Provision of peace and conflict resolution education to school children and the wider community;
• Raising awareness about children rights and domestic violence;
• Developing a clean and healthy living environment for children and their families;
• Promoting physical and mental well being of young people through sports and leisure activities;
• Raising awareness about sexual reproductive health, genital mutilation, and HIV/Aids ;

PCO applies this set of core values in all its activities:

• A commitment to creating progress through humility and purity of the heart;
• A commitment to children’s rights;
• A belief in the power of education as key to shaping a better future for Liberia and West Africa;
• A commitment to tribal and racial equality and reconciliation;
• A commitment to holistic, sustainable and collaborative approaches to social problems;
• A commitment to extensive formative research and planning in project development;
• A commitment to the promotion of gender equality, within the PCO organization and in the wider community;
• A commitment to organizational transparency and democracy; and
• A firm belief that prevention is better than cure!