Grace House isn’t just a place. It’s a growing circle of care, compassion, and change.
Services Grace House Provides
As our children can be medically complex and difficult and time-consuming to care for, finding qualified and competent caregivers is challenging for families.
At Grace House, we’re not just filling time, we’re building a foundation for every child to feel safe, supported, and celebrated.
With two dedicated therapists and a growing collection of adaptive tools: including walkers, standers, wheelchairs, and everyday items like hair brushes and toothbrushes- we support each child in developing essential life skills. From learning to walk or stretch, to feeding themselves or simply becoming more comfortable in their own bodies, every milestone is celebrated.
In the past year alone, several of our children have reached life-changing goals, like taking their first independent steps, using utensils at lunchtime, or participating in daily routines for the very first time.
Therapy at Grace House is about more than physical progress, it’s about helping every child experience dignity, joy, and the freedom to be more fully themselves.
Every child who attends Grace House receives 20 home-cooked meals each month, prepared with love by Auntie Clara. From hearty bean stews to chicken and rice, meals are tailored to each child’s needs, whether that means softer textures, smaller portions, or dietary modifications.
In addition to meals, we provide RUFT, a highly effective, ready-to-eat nutritional supplement. This peanut-based, medically formulated, nutrient-rich paste has helped many of our kids gain healthy weight and build the energy they need to participate in therapy and play. Children who receive this supplement have made huge gains in their weight and development.
But it comes at a cost. A box is $50 USD a significant expense for our center, especially with a growing need. With your help, we can continue providing this essential support to every child who needs it.
A Day At Grace House
Each morning begins with focused occupational therapy sessions tailored to each child’s needs, followed by time to explore, play, and build early learning skills. These include activities like recognizing letters and numbers, or simply learning to play alongside a friend.
Why We Do It
The sad reality is that disabled children end up in orphanages at 17x the rate of non-disabled children. Many families, believing they’re doing what’s best, turn to orphanages, hoping their child will receive food, care, and a better future. But the reality is often far worse. Intentionally overcrowded these institutions can strip children of the love, attention, and dignity they deserve. Worse still, most orphanages operate as part of a disturbing cycle of exploitation. We’ve witnessed firsthand how children are intentionally mistreated and displayed as part of an “orphanage tourism” scheme, soliciting for money to “save the children” when most donations never reach the children at all.
At Grace House, we are breaking that cycle.
Our mission is simple: keep children at home, and families together. We provide more than care for disabled children; we offer critical support to the parents and caregivers raising them. We walk alongside families through social work, education, and community-building, reminding them they are not alone and that their children are worthy of love, opportunity, and joy.
We also work to educate both local communities and international donors about the dangers of the orphanage system, exposing its exploitative practices and promoting ethical alternatives.
The parents we serve are nothing short of heroic. Despite cultural pressure, economic hardship, and emotional strain, they continue to show up with resilience, love, and hope for their children. Grace House exists to support these super-parents and to ensure their children can grow up in the arms of the people who love them most.
In Ghana, the stigma surrounding disability doesn’t just affect children, it often isolates their mothers entirely. When a child is born with a disability, cultural beliefs may lead others to label them as “cursed,” placing blame on the mother. Many fathers abandon the family, extended relatives may withdraw support, churches are no longer sanctuaries, and communities withdraw. What’s left is a mother, alone, grieving, and struggling to survive.
In this reality, even selling tomatoes at the roadside becomes impossible because no one wants to buy from the woman with the “cursed child” for fear they may catch the curse.
Grace House exists to rewrite that story.
We provide community, dignity, and opportunity for mothers who have been pushed to the margins. Our Mother’s Club offers a safe, supportive space for moms to share, connect, and lift one another up. Through our Parent Association, families coordinate transportation and lean on each other for practical support. Most importantly, Grace House offers paid employment to mothers of children with disabilities, allowing them to earn a stable income in an environment that values their strength, not their circumstances.
We have the space, and the vision, to do even more. With consistent funding, we’re working to open small, sustainable businesses right on our property, such as a bakery run by mothers, that would generate income for families and provide long-term independence.
At Grace House, we believe no mother should be punished for loving her child. Together, we’re creating a community where mothers are seen, supported, and given the tools they need not just to survive, but to thrive.
Our Impact
From the very beginning, Grace House was built on the belief that sustainable, respectful care must come from within the community it serves. When founder, Mandie Case, first began turning this vision into reality, she made a key decision: she would step back from and let local voices lead.
Today, Grace House is entirely run by a team of incredible Ghanaians, guided by a community-based hiring committee that includes Uncle Maxwell, our compassionate Director; Mr. Adoboe, the Regional Special Education Director; Aunty Daniella, a skilled occupational therapist and Principal of an inclusive elementary school; and Mr. Hanson, our trusted community liaison.
Mr. Hanson plays a particularly vital role. During the early stages of building Grace House, local tribal leaders expressed concern that the center might be run or staffed by outsiders. Mr. Hanson listened and brought that feedback straight to the committee. In response, the team made the intentional decision to prioritize hiring from the local community. Since then, four local citizens have joined our staff, bringing invaluable insight, connection, and care.
We also work to educate both local communities and international donors about the dangers of the orphanage system, exposing its exploitative practices and promoting ethical alternatives.
The results speak for themselves. In nearly 18 months of operation, Grace House has experienced zero staff turnover, a remarkable testament to the strength of our team, the care they give, and the support they receive in return.
At Grace House, we don’t just serve the community, we are the community. And we believe the people closest to the work should lead the way.
Grace House is more than a daycare, it’s a catalyst for change in our community. From creating meaningful local jobs to challenging harmful cultural stigmas, our work reaches far beyond our walls.
We’ve hired ten local staff members, including four mothers and aunties of children with disabilities, providing steady income, purpose, and dignity. Our Parent Association and Mother’s Club have built strong networks of support, reminding caregivers they are not alone. And through thoughtful hiring led by our local leadership team, Grace House is deeply rooted in — and shaped by — the community it serves.
But community change takes more than care, it takes education.
In June 2025, we hosted our first Understanding Autism presentation, open to local healthcare workers, teachers, therapists, families, and anyone whose life has been touched by Autism. For many attendees, it was their first time receiving hands-on tools, printed resources, and space for open, judgment-free conversation. The event marked a major step forward in how disability is talked about, understood, and embraced in the Dodowa community.
We believe that consistent outreach, shared knowledge, and accessible resources are key to building a truly inclusive society. Grace House is proud to be helping lead that movement: one child, one caregiver, and one community at a time.
How You Can Help
The True Cost of Care — and the Power of Possibility
In all honesty, it’s hard to put a price on what Grace House provides. How do you calculate the value of a child’s first independent step, a mother’s first steady paycheck, or a community beginning to embrace inclusion over stigma?
We estimate it costs around $200 per month per child to keep Grace House running, this covers staffing, meals, therapy, utilities, and upkeep. But that number shifts constantly. The global economy is unpredictable, and local inflation can make planning feel like a moving target.
While we dream of one day being fully funded through local income streams, we are not there yet. We still rely heavily on international donors just to keep the lights on and the doors open.
Imagine what we could do with more with consistent support:
- Hire more staff and clear the waitlist! We currently need one more Occupational Therapist and two more Caregivers to admit the six children currently on the waitlist (please Contact Us if you are interested)
- Buy a school bus to ensure every child can get to Grace House safely and consistently
- Build a Youth Center where older kids can learn hands-on vocational skills and explore technology in a safe, welcoming space
- Expand our bakery project to employ more single mothers and provide sustainable income for more families
- BUILD MORE CENTERS FOR DISABLED YOUTH, LIKE GRACE HOUSE, AROUND GHANA!
Our vision is bold, and it’s rooted in the real needs and hopes of the community we serve. Grace House is already making a deep impact and with your help, we can do so much more.
Your generosity isn’t just a donation, it’s a step toward stronger families, empowered futures, and a more inclusive world.