When the women’s ministry alerted of a woman whose husband had inserted office pins, screw drivers and other sharp objects into her womb and poured acid on her back, we quickly rushed in to do what we could to save the situation. She had already undergone a surgery to remove the pins and other sharp objects. However, while in our custody, she constantly complained of acute stomach pains.

How we helped

We sent her to the hospital for medical attention regularly. It was however revealed that there were still some pins left in her womb which required surgery. This posed a great challenge to the medical officers because the wounds of the previous surgery had not healed completely. After many prayers and medical consultations, the surgery was carried out successfully but her womb had to be removed because it had been severely damaged. We constantly monitored her progress and provided counselling and other emotional support until she recovered fully. She was given ICT training after which a judge adopted her and offered her employment as a court clerk. Later, her relatives arranged for her to come live with them in the States.

During a live radio program hosted by Rev. Dr. Yaw Owusu Ansah with Dr. Mrs. Jane Irina Adu as a resource person, A Good Samaritan phoned in to report the case of a woman who lived with her five children in a kiosk at Kaneshie. Upon interrogation, the woman revealed that her husband had brought in his girlfriend to share their single room apartment with them. She narrated that he (the husband) forced his wife and children to sleep on the floor whilst he and his mistress slept on the matrimonial bed. Out of frustration, his wife and children moved out of the room to sleep in front of the restroom. But after a short while, she abandoned the house totally and sought refuge in the kiosk.

How we helped

We provided temporal accommodation to the woman and her five children. We then made an attempt to invite her husband over for a discussion. Hitherto, her husband had been invited by extended family members, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, and other organizations but he refused to heed to their call. But through prayers and persuasion, her husband honored our invitation and the reconciliation process was initiated. By the mercies of God, both the husband and wife were ready to give their marriage a second chance. So, a marriage ceremony was organized for them. Due to the numerous failed attempts that the external family members had encountered in trying to solve their marital problems, they refused to witness the wedding ceremony or play any role in it. The couple married honorably in our office. After the wedding, they were taken through a series of post marital counselling sessions by Dr. Mrs. Jane Adu to ensure that they lived harmoniously together.

Another case we handled was a young girl whose father raped her child consistently. The young girl, 10 years at the time, lived with her father alone in a small town in Ghana. Afraid of what her father might do to her if anyone found out, she refused to disclose the incident to anyone. She grew up to be timid due to the trauma she was in. Her teacher noticed this and interrogated her until she finally opened up. When her father got to know about it, he whipped her severely with a wire. The teacher reported the case to the Girl Child Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service who in collaboration with the newly created women’s ministry and Women and Juvenile Support Unit (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service referred the case to the Potters Village, formally the Women’s Refuge and Child Survival Africa (WORCSA).

How we helped:

We took custody of the young girl and provided her with her basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, etc. We counseled her regularly and then enrolled her in school. By the grace of God, we were able to see her through her primary, secondary and tertiary education. She passed out from the teachers training college and is now a professional teacher.

A story that caught the attention of the entire nation and even international media was that of three children whose parents had camped them in their Adenta residence for about 8 years. The eldest child, who at the time of their rescue was 8 years old, revealed that he hadn’t interacted with anyone before apart from his parents and a few workers who came to their house to assist them. All three children were home schooled by their father and brainwashed to believe that world was a very wicked place. They were prevented from socializing with other people and so were kept in a very bushy and dirty environment. They lived with animals and considered them as part of their family. Upon tip off, the Police rescued them and brought them to The Potters Village.

How we helped:

First of all, Mama Jane ensured that they were provided with the basic necessities, i.e. food, clothing, shelter, health care and security. Then she took them through a reorientation process. This lasted throughout their stay at The Potters Village. They were encouraged to mingle with the other children and staff. After a very short while, they adapted to their new environment and were enrolled in school. Necessary arrangements were made for them to reunite with their family as totally transformed children.

A set of twin baby girls were brought to us by Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for care and protection. They had been abandoned by their mother only 2 months after their birth. On arrival at The Potters Village, they were both wrapped in a single cloth with no extra outfit or personal effects.

How we helped:

We provided the babies with new sets of clothing, baby food, new courts and disinfectants amongst other things. They were also given a lot of affection from Mama Jane and the entire staff and children at the shelter. We gave them round-the-clock-attention until the Department of Social Welfare came in for them. On the day of their departure, the babies were anointed and prayed for by Mama Jane. Amidst sorrow and weeping, we saw them off with their new set of clothing, food, and other items we had acquired for them during their stay.

With the help of God, we were able to also help 2 head porters (kayaye) who plied their trade and slept at the Agbogbloshie market in the Greater Accra Region. According to them, they shared a small kiosk with about 25 other head porters and truck pushers. As a regulation, the head porters who were mainly females were allowed to sleep in the kiosk if only they agreed to have sex with the truck pushers. Consequently, they got pregnant and had to be ejected from the kiosk.

How we helped:

The two young girls were rescued and provided accommodation, food, clothing, healthcare and other forms of support they needed. We assisted them to deliver safely and later groomed them to start their own trade. When we were convinced that they could stay on their own, we provided them with seed money to start their own businesses. Life became a bit more comfortable for them afterwards.

We currently have in our custody a young lady whose guardian consistently abused her sexually until she was rescued by the Police. She lived with the suspect, a headmaster, and his wife in a small village in the Eastern Region. According to her, the man abused her as often as he liked. The Police received a tip off from a neighbor which led to her rescue.

How we helped:

She is being provided with the needed care and support here at The Potters Village, specifically education, food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, etc. she is also benefiting from our special programs like Life Success Coaching and Emotional Healing. On arrival, she was admitted to class 5 and by the grace of God, she is now in Junior High School form 1.

We have engaged in several community based education and awareness programs across the country. Mama Jane and her team have visited almost every district within the country, speaking about a variety of social and health issues like domestic violence, family life issues, HIV AIDS, child abuse, etc.

It was on one of these trips that a cripple who had been raped was identified. She got pregnant as a result and so The Potters Village assisted her till she safely delivered her child. She and her entire community received support from The Potters Village.

Another cripple from the Eastern Region also attracted help to himself and his family through the public education campaigns. The community is a remote farming area in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Both the cripple and his family receive regular donations both in cash and in kind from the Potters Village.

These are only but a few of the success stories recorded at The Potters Village. The impact of the toils of Dr. Jane Irina Adu and her team are immeasurable. Quite a number of women and children have shared their testimonies on different platforms, recounting the support they have received and the positive results that have yielded in their lives as they encountered Dr. Jane Irina Adu and her organization.