Afrikids Ghana to Re-Unite Street Children in Upper East With Families

Bolgatanga, June 21, GNA- Afrikids Ghana, a Non-Governmental Orgainisation, working for the welfare of children, is to re-unite and resettle 150 children with their families in the Upper East Region. The street children, who are mainly to be brought from the Kumasi Racecourse area would be trained in various vocational skills to empower them economically. Last year Afrikids Ghana also trained 10 street children brought from Kumasi in various skills and re-integrated them into their communities.

The Project Co-ordinator, Mr Cletus Anaaya, announced these in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at a day's workshop organised by the NGO for stakeholders to solicit their views on the formulation of a code of conduct to guide the behaviour of street children. It also sought to strategise to deal with pregnant cases among the female street children and how to make the programme sustainable. The Project Co-ordinator stated that his outfit also runs community streetism awareness programmes and prevention campaigns at the rural communities and noted that it was impacting positively as many parents no more allow their children on the streets or travel to the southern sector to become street children. Mr Anaaya explained that the major aim of the street children project also called "Operation First Start" was to pressurise government to prevent streetism, child trafficking and to help resettle more street children.

It also sought to prevent children from migrating or voluntarily travelling with human traffickers to the southern sector and to also collaborate with NGOs and government to deal with the issue on the ground.

The British Big Lottery Fund, a charitable organisation based in Britain, would fund the Project, Mr Anaaya said. Participants at the workshop, who discussed and strategised on how to manage the affairs of the street children included the Department of Social Welfare, Ghana Education Service, District Assemblies, the Media, National Commission on Children, the Police Service, SEND Foundation and other NGOs.