Child protection in Ghana: Example of AfriKids Ghana

Over the years, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have made concerted efforts in protecting the rights of children, especially those in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.

These efforts have been worth undertaking as many children who were being victimised in many unexpected ways are sheltered, offered the opportunity to develop their potential and ultimately given new lease of life.

One such organisation is AfriKids Ghana, a child’s rights organisation working to improve life for Ghana’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Since 2005, the first phase of the organisation’s work has spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives, tackling very sensitive issues, including the spirit child phenomenon, child labour and child trafficking.

AfriKids Ghana is child-centred and the organisation’s projects are geared towards transforming the lives of a large number of children. The organisation believes that the holistic approach is to empower their families and improve the environment in which they grow up.

Successes 

At the launch of a year-long celebration, preceded by a health walk through the principal streets of Bolgatanga to mark the 10th anniversary of the organisation, the Country Director of AfriKids Ghana, Mr Nicholas Kumah, recounted some successes chalked up by his outfit in the area of child protection and other major social intervention in its operational areas.

He mentioned three residential homes for orphans and other vulnerable children in northern Ghana, reaching out to more than 102 children, as some of the many strides made.

Reuniting children with their families.

Mr Kumah said AfriKids Ghana had successfully withdrawn about 860 young people from the streets of Kumasi and Bolgatanga, rehabilitating and reintegrating them with their families and providing them with skills training and formal education.

He indicated that under the Talensi Nabdam Area Programme, instituted by the International Labour Organisation to help children come out of hazardous forms of child labour in mining communities, the organisation successfully withdrew 1,200 children who were involved in small-scale mining and placed them in full-time schools, including vocational instituitions. 

Adequate protection of children

AfriKids, through its Community Based Education (CBE) programme, has offered more than 4,000 children a second opportunity to education, getting thousands of young children to know their rights through activities of 300 child’s right clubs in six districts in northern Ghana.

Mr Kumah said his outfit had reached out to more than 1,100 children who qualified for senior high school through its Education Support Programme.

Through the Family Livelihood Support Programme, started in 2008, AfriKids Ghana has provided livelihood support to 9,415 rural women in northern Ghana through the provision of micro-loans, business training and life skills. This has impacted on the lives of their children and access to education and health care.

Spirit child phenomenon

Another major accomplishment is the eradication of the spirit child phenomenon where children born with deformities in the Kassena-Nankana East and Kassena-West Districts of the Upper East Region are killed through poisonous concoctions administered to them.

It is the belief of the people that such children are possessed by spirits.

AfriKids Ghana, after series of sensitisation and advocacy in seven communities in these districts, succeeded in persuading the men who administered the concoctions to abandon the practice leading to the eradication of the practice.

In reducing carbon emission during cooking in urban areas, AfriKids Ghana has sold out 13,000 energy efficient stoves under the Energy for Life Initiative, which has gone a long way to help protect the environment and has reduced carbon emission.

In the health sector

In the health sector, the acquisition and running of the AfriKids Medical Centre, which sees to the health needs of more than 60,000 clients annually, is one major milestone chalked up in the provision of health care services in the Upper East Region.

This, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, acknowledged, saying: “AfriKids is the key health care partner for the Upper East Region. We welcome their continued and increased involvement.”

From a small beginning, AfriKids Ghana has seen significant growth and marked improvement in all indicators having raised £1,000,000 from the Deutsche Bank Charity of the year partnership.

Mr Kumah commended the contribution of its partners, including Georgie Feinberg and AfriKids UK staff for their relentless efforts in fund-raising, district assemblies, Ghana Education Service, Department of Social Welfare, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Health Service and traditional authorities.

He applauded the Board Chairman, Most Reverend Father Moses Akebule, past and present board members for setting up the structures to monitor the progress of the organisation.

External Affairs Officer of AfriKids, Mr Raymond Ayine, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, noted that 10 years of AfriKids Ghana was an opportunity for the organisation to take stock, strategise and make headway into the future.

Prestigious awards

AfriKids has won several prestigious awards—both locally and internationally including an award from the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment in 2008 and International Service Award for the Defence of Women in the same year.

The rest are awards for its outstanding contribution towards child protection in Ghana from Ministry of Women and Children Affairs as well as an Education Award and STARS Impact Award in 2009; Charity Times Award-winner of Social Enterprise (AfriKids Medical Centre) in 2009 and the Third Sector Excellence Award-finalist for Social Enterprise.