The goal of TFTC is to offer social services that will transform the vulnerable youth by giving them a home for skill development and to provide a strong support system to empower them for reintegration into society and the Ghanaian economy.
TFTC is situated on the road between Accra and Cape Coast at Biriwa Town which has approximately 7,000 inhabitants of whom many are fishermen
” KOINONIA PLACE” offers trainings in the following areas:
We run a one year program in these 3 areas:
AGRICULTURE
- Poultry,
- Fishing,
- Crop Cultivation
I. T.
- Software development
- Website designs
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Updates on activities at the Koinonia Place
Koinonia Place is a quiet location on the coast close to Biriwa, on the Accra – Cape Coast Road in the Central Region of Ghana. The Centre is situated on a five- acre estate with several buildings.
The Treasures Foundation Transformational Centre in Biriwa actively began its operations in December 2020 with the recruitment of Essential Staff (Home Director and Project Coordinator).
In January of 2021, the building was furnished with office furniture and beds.
Between February and March, there was preparation to kick start the Centre.
Training of Trainers on the Discipleship Course came on in the first week of March, followed by the Admission of the Treasures in the same month. The Discipleship Course was run for three(3) months.
In June 2021, there was a second Training on the Grace Course which was also to run for the second phase of the project.
From March 2021 to February 2022, the Project has been reviewing its policies, including the soliciting of funds. This has been on Weekly and Monthly basis to identify shortcomings and sharpen the rough edges and ensure everything is running smoothly.
Activities Showcasing the Impact of TFTC in 2021
A. Spiritual Development Training
Through the lessons of the Discipleship and Grace Courses and other spiritual development activities undertaken at the Centre, the spiritual lives of the Treasures had seen great improvement. They have come to accept the forgiving Grace of God and are no longer under the burden of guilt which prevented them from having a relationship with God. They could not even pray when they were admitted to the Centre, but now, they have a relationship with God which has helped in their prayer life. The Treasures can now pray to God and have learnt to do that on a regular basis. The habit of scripture reading has also greatly improved. Some have come to love the scriptures and desire going into full time Ministry.
B. Agriculture Training (Vegetable Garden)
Crop farming is considered as a form of punishment by many Ghanaians because it requires a lot of manual work, and this was the mindset of the Treasures when they were first introduced to the concept of vegetable gardening. Their ethusiasm was not high when it was time for them to be engaged in field work. However, after the first crops (spring onions and lettuce) were matured, this mindset was dispelled. The Treasures have gone ahead to grow more spring onions, tomatoes, chilli pepper, carrot and cabbage with much more enthusiasm.
The change in their interest is very obvious as some of them can be seen on the plots working on their own volition with no supervision. The Treasures have learnt how to raise seedlings, transplant in rows, apply fertilizers, pesticides etc. Harvest time has always been a joyous occassion as they see the fruit of their labour and the rewards of hard work.
C. Poultry Training
Unlike the Gardening sessions Poultry was met with a lot of interest at the begining probably because the Treasures love chicken. The Treasures were taken through practical hands-on brooding of day-old chicks, feeding, vaccination, feed formulations and biosecurity measures to minimize infections and disease spread.
They witnessed how debeaking was done, the reason for doing debeaking and witnessed the devastating effect of pecking as a result of not debeaking the birds.
The Poultry section comprises the Broiler and the Layer units. During the Christmas festivities, the Centre produced enough broiler chicken for consumption, some of which were gifted to staff of the Centre.
D. IT Training
Today’s world is said to be an ICT world. In view of this, the project included an ICT training for the Treasures. They were given training in the following areas;
1. Mobile Phone Profitability: how to maximize opportunities available on mobile devices to earn income and also identifying and utilizing the business and educational opportunities on mobile devices.
2. Mobile Graphics: producing professional artworks, designs, posters etc using mobile apps such as Poster Maker, Canva, Logo Maker etc. The Treasures expressed great interest in becoming mobile graphics experts and have started offering designing services to the general public.
3. Mobile Video Production: creating interactive and professional videos using mobile apps such as CANVA, www.flixpress.com etc. The Treasures were encouraged to explore the opportunities in creating short promotional and marketing videos for SMEs at small fees.
4. Desktop Video Editing: producing professional videos using software such as Windows Video Editor, Filmforth etc
5. Graphic Designing: using software such as Xara Photo and Graphic Designer to produce posters, business cards, banners, invitation cards etc. The Treasures undertook many projects such as designing MTN, Vodafone etc logos, signpost for the Centre and business cards for themselves
6. Computer Networking: focus here will be on understanding computer networks, types of networks, network devices, transmission media, advantages and disadvantages of networks and how to create a simple network
7. Website Development: this lesson will help the Treasures to appreciate WordPress as a content creation and management tool for website designing.
E. Entrepreneurship Training
The Entrepreneurship Training sought to help the Treasures identify opportunities and generate business ideas. The course helped them to develop the determination and other characteristics of an entreprenuer. They were also taught to write a business plan.
F. Leadership Training
The goal of the course was to understand what Leadership is and to become effective Leaders. It focussed on the importance of good Leadership as presented in the Bible as well as secular theories about what makes a successful Leader. The value of good Communication Skills and Emotional Intelligence (EQ) were also included with a view to enable the Treasures to manage relationships well in the workplace and in their personal lives. Case studies were used to encourage the Treasures to participate in discussing the material. This Course was carried out remotely on Zoom.
Two lessons that were learned for future Leadership training, were firstly that the material is most beneficial when given to the Treasures later in the programme when they have a better sense of their own identity and direction in their lives, and secondly, that the inclusion of more Case Studies is essential as they are the most effective way of making theories understandable and engaging students in the learning process.
G. Counselling Sessions
The Treasures were taken through counselling sessions to uncover the root cause of their behavioural issues and help mold them to become the better versions of themselves. At the end of the sessions, they testifiy that they have developed self confidence in their selves, learnt to manage anger and relate better with their peers and tolerate their opinions.