It is not uncommon to see some very young children walking on the busy streets in towns and cities, hawking during school time, begging for alms and assisting persons with disability to beg for alms without any adult protection or guidance.
Many children spend time on the streets during periods that should be spent in school or at home. What is even worrying is that unscrupulous persons sometimes take advantage of the situation to cause harm to children, who because they are innocent and ignorant are very vulnerable.
To support various efforts to address the situation, a non-governmental organization committed to the welfare of children, Afrikids Ghana, a non-governmental Organization in the Upper East Region, has taken about 98 street children through a mix of Ghana Education Service lessons and a wider set of social and health lessons and recreation.
The NGO had been working to address the issue of street children for some years now to ensure that children on the street received quality education to pursue their desired dreams.
Most of the street children had been neglected by parents and guardians, and therefore, reaching out to those children would bring some hope to them.
Giving an overview of the programme at a graduation ceremony of about ninety-eight students of School of Night rabbits in Bolgatanga, the Director of Programmes at Afrikids Ghana, David Pwalua, said a number of children had been withdrawn from the streets and encouraged to either go back home or to school.
He said support provided the children under the project included monthly stipend, health insurance, provision of female goats for families of the children to rear, soap and other toiletries, educational talks to motivate them to want to go back to school, as well as counselling services.
Mr. Pwalua indicated that a number of children found on the streets were used by unscrupulous people in society to earn a living, hence the need to deal with the situation.
He said the NGO had been working to address the issue of street children for some years now to ensure that children on the street received quality education to pursue their desired dreams, adding that a look around the environment would indicate that children found on the street had been deprived of certain rights such as education.
Mr. Pwalua said most of the street children had been neglected by parents and guardians, and therefore, reaching out to those children would bring some hope to them.
Mr. Pwalua therefore, urged guardians to take good care of their children because children were gifts from God and they should not be left alone to feed for themselves, since they may end up as criminals in society.
Streetism is a term used to describe children who are forced to spend most of their time outside their homes, engaging in menial income-generating activities in order to survive.
Often, such children who seek refuge and survive outside the home come from rural or the poor areas of towns and cities. Bolgatanga, the regional capital of the Upper East Region, and a major transit point to some West African countries, has been grappling with streetism for some time now.
The town’s strategic position avails it to the type of menial jobs that attract street children. They carry loads for lorry drivers and passengers, while others work in the ‘chop bars’ and eat whatever is available to them.
To support various efforts to address the situation, a non-governmental organization committed to the welfare of children, Afrikids Ghana, a non-governmental Organization in the Upper East Region, has taken about 98 street children through a mix of Ghana Education Service lessons and a wider set of social and health lessons and recreation.
The Afrikids School of Night Rabbits, took the children off the streets and put them in the classroom where they were taught some basic numeracy and literacy skills. The NGO also took responsibility for the children’s upkeep.
The syllabus run by the School of Night Rabbits is a mix of Ghana Education Service lessons and a wider set of social and health lessons and recreation.
During classes, the children are given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in some practical lessons such as drumming and dancing, storytelling, poetry recitals, doormat weaving etc. They are also taught basic health and hygiene and how to stay safe even on the streets.
Teachers of the “School of Night Rabbits” spend a lot of time on the streets where they monitor the situation of the children and find out their backgrounds. The project, thus, helps to guard even children on the streets from getting into worse situations.
When possible, the children are mainstreamed into the Afrikids Ghana main sponsored projects for them to receive more comprehensive support or unite them with their families.
He called on all stakeholders, including lorry park overseers, parents and civil society organisations, as well as the government to support Afrikids Ghana to give education to children who are not in the formal school system.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to protect the rights of the children on the street, pointing out that when they try to interact with these street children, some threaten them because they think they are depriving them of their livelihood.
The graduands were giving school uniform, exercise books, pens, mathematical sets among others. A beneficiary, Agnes Nyaaba, who is now in junior high school, thanked Afrikids for picking her from the streets and enrolling her in school. She revealed that she would remain in school and continue till she reached the highest level.
The School of Night Rabbits project is funded by Empower also known as the emerging markets foundation. Empower is a global philanthropy focused on at-risk youth in emerging market countries. Empower has a world-wide community of supporters, and it strategically invest in United Nations viral local organizations like Afrikids Ghana who work to empower the youth.
Story by GBC’s Samuel Ayammah
