Ghanaian churches in the United Kingdom

Some Ghanaian churches in the United Kingdom have mounted a campaign to help address the increasing youth diligences within the community.

In recent time some Ghanaian youth have either been victims or accused of gun and knife crimes in the city of London.

Within the pace of four years 12 Ghanaian youth have lost their lives in criminal circumstances. These young ones aged between 14 and 19 years lost their lives chiefly from knife and gun activities

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The most recent victim was Nana – Frimpong. Nana Frimpong 18years was ambushed by knife and gun-wielding gang who shot him dead and sped off in an ash saloon car, according to the police.

The Ghanaian Catholic Chaplaincy in the United Kingdom has, in view of this, held fund raising service to raise funds for youth initiative activities within the Ghanaian community in the United Kingdom to help address the phenomenon.

The programme which was youth-led saw much inspirational recitals, sketches and songs ministration, all in appeal to the youth to abstain from anti-social activities.

The occasion brought together over 1000 Catholics in the country as well as other highly profiled Ghanaians in the UK.

The Head of the Chaplaincy, Father Joseph Patrick Kwabena Akono, in an interview noted that the high youth and children delinquencies in the society today are as a result of virtual break down of family systems.

He said there was the need for Christians to build up very strong family units to provide the youth with values and what he described as “purpose of life”. He was of the view that most of the youth engaged in anti-social behaviour are from homes where law, order, and care are virtually non-existence.

“No responsible mother or father will love to see his or her child found in the street misbehaving and engaged in activities that will destroy lives and property.” He stressed.

Father Akono catalogued a number of interventions by the Ghanaian Catholics in the UK to help arrest the problem. This according to him, included engaging the youth in vigorous holiday activities, sponsoring the youth for exchanged programmes and scholarships.

He recalled that a number of the selected youth have been sponsored to participate in youth development programmes in Spain while others are also ready to participate in similar programmes next year.

The Head of the Ghanaian Catholics Chaplaincy in the UK stated that the church has put in place pragmatic systems to build strong family units where the youth would appreciate the values of the society. “We believe life begins and develop at the family levels and when we have strong family step ups, we will have enterprising and useful youth in our societies.” He observed.

To ensure these we also need to build our church structures very well. We are therefore trying to acquire residence and offices for the leadership of the Chaplaincy here in the UK.” He added.

He said the church has also helped in proving facilities for Seminaries and Hospitals in Ghana.

Other churches like the Calvary Charismatic Baptist Church and the London Ghana Seventh-day Adventists Church among others have engaged in similar programmes.