CHURCH, WELFARE AND CITIZENSHIP: A STUDY OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE WORKS OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF GHANA AND THE CHRIST REFORMED CHURCH TO PARTICIPATORY CITIZENSHIP IN GHANA

Abstract

Although Ghana is not a Welfare State like Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and other western countries, there has been a conscious effort by different stake holders in providing for the welfare needs of its citizens. The traditional family is the main and oldest provider of social welfare for members of the society. However, with the coming in of the British Colonizers and increasing demand for to seek the welfare of citizens, the role of the traditional family as providers of social welfare has expanded to include other benefactors such as the government and NonGovernmental Organizations. Among such NGO s are the religious organizations such as the Churches. The main aim of this study is to find out how the social welfare works of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Christ Reformed Church, contributes to Participatory Citizenship in Ghana. The study will seek to explore the role of the Ghanaian churches as co-partners of the State in building the nation together, as well as the churches role as surrogate family who substitutes for the traditional family, undertaking social welfare works in areas where they are absent. This study explores key questions as: What kind of welfare works do the churches engage in, and what do they put their priorities on? What are the motivations behind the churches engagement in social welfare? What kind of citizenship do their welfare works contribute to? What is their source of funding and What challenges do they encounter in their welfare works? This study was conducted during a two months fieldwork in Accra, Ghana. Key leaders and representatives of the studied churches were interviewed. Other people such as lecturers and students in the field of social work who had knowledge about Ghana s social welfare system, and welfare beneficiaries were also interviewed.