160 STREET CHILDREN RE-UNITED WITH FAMILIES (PAGE 20)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga

AFRIKIDS Ghana, a charity organisation based in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region that works for the welfare of children, has re-united a total of 160 children with their families in the region.
Under a project code-named “Operation Fresh Start”, the children, who were mostly engaged in menial jobs in the southern part of Ghana, particularly in Kumasi, have been enrolled in various vocational programmes.
The Project Manager, Mr Cletus Anaaya, told the Daily Graphic at Bolgatanga at the end of a day’s stakeholders forum on child trafficking, streetism and child labour, that a research conducted by AfriKids Ghana into the origin and living conditions of children on the streets of Kumasi in April, 2005, found out that many of the victims hailed from the Upper East Region.
He said based on the findings, AfriKids Ghana decided to launch “Operation Fresh Start” in partnership with the Neglect Foundation, a Kumasi-based NGO, and the result was the relocation of 10 children from Kumasi to their families in Bolgatanga.
He said the children were later enrolled in various vocational training institutions such as hairdressing, dressmaking and auto-mechanic.
“All these children were engaged in menial jobs around the race course area in Kumasi, and we thought that they did not have a good future with those temporary jobs so we decided to send them home to be rehabilitated,” Mr Anaaya stressed.
He stated that the seminar was aimed at interacting with other stakeholders who were engaged in similar projects, to solicit ideas in order to fashion appropriate and comprehensive package to ensure that the trainees lived independent life after graduation.
Mr Anaaya said in view of the success of the pilot phase, the Big Lottery Fund offered AfriKids some funds that enabled the organisation to scale up the project.
“To date we have helped 160 children to join their families, who are undergoing apprenticeship programmes,” he stated.
According to Mr Anaaya, the project was currently operational in three districts, namely Bolgatanga Municipality, and Tongo and Bongo districts.
On the challenges posed by the programme, Mr Anaaya said, “It has not been easy running this programme. Indeed there are very teething challenges that we are confronted with, especially, the poverty levels of the members of families of these children.”
He said, “Some of the children have become hardened as a result and have acquired the traits they have acquired that were unacceptable,” adding, “The challenge is how to get them accept that they have to do away with such negative attitude in order to fit into the society.”
Mr Anaaya appealed to the administrators in the three districts where the project was currently operating, to try to support the programme.