21 street children acquire skills

Ashaiman (G/A), March 18, GNA- The Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment (MMDE) is considering legal action against parents of street children as a measure to address the problem os street child.

The Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Mary Amadu who said explained that the new measure was necessary since some parents still refuse to accept the fact, that it is their responsibility to take care of their children till they reach a stage where they could take care of themselves.

She was delivering a speech on behalf of the Sector Minister Mr Yaw Barimah at the graduation ceremony of 21 beneficiaries of the Street Children Component of the Community-Based Poverty Reduction Project, at Ashaiman, near Tema on Wednesday.

They were given training in shoemaking, photography, electronics, pottery, and dressmaking and auto mechanics.

The project under the auspices of the MMDE is being funded under the World Bank's Learning and Innovation Loan Facility. The Minister advised parents to make sure they take full responsibility of their children by educating them and catering for their needs.

He said the problem of the phenomenon of streetism has been of great concern to the Government since the future of the country lies on the training given to the children.

He said the Ministry has contracted a loan of 2.3 million dollars from the World Bank Learning and Innovative Loan, for integration of street children into the mainstream of society.

The Ministry however in collaboration with districts and other service providers including Family Health Foundation, (FHF), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on street children is targeting 2,500 children with various forms of interventions.

Mr Yaw Barimah said parents of such children would also be reached with employable training and tooling.

The Executive Director of FHF, Mrs Jane Mansa Okrah, in her welcome address, said the project which started in February, 2003, now has 97 children with 54 of them being trained in various skills. She expressed the hope that the children who sometime ago had no shelter and food could be relied on to make significant contributions to national development.

The Chairman for the function, Cdr. (Rtd) Atta Adomako who is also Chairman of the Ashaiman Zonal Council expressed regrets about the perception people have about Ashaiman that the place is full of criminal activities.

He hoped the training programme would help reduce the poverty level in the area and change people's perception as well. He advised those who completed the training to make use of whatever skills they have acquired so that money spent on them would not be wasted.

They were presented with certificates and a working package each to enable them start life. The only hairdresser amongst them was presented with one hair dryer.