Street Children

THE Director of Chance For Children (CFC), Mrs Daniela Ruedsueli Sodjah, has stressed the need to provide training opportunities for street children.
Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of CFC in Accra, she said children must be given the chance to make valuable contributions to decisions that affect them and also participate in activities that impact positively on their lives.
“Street children in Accra should have the opportunity to take control of their lives through the provision of love, safety, educational opportunities and professional training,” she said.
The CFC is a Swiss-Ghanaian venture which aids street children by providing them with academic opportunities through various supports.
The organisation recruits street children mainly from Agbogbloshie and James Town in Accra and provides them with opportunities to support their growth and development.
It also promotes family ties and instils in the children, respect for individuals, honesty and openness, social responsibility and the ability to help themselves.
The Board Manager of CFC, Mr Paul Amegee, congratulated the CFC for their impressive achievements and pleaded with the public and the government to provide further support to NGOs engaged in charity activities to enable them cater effectively for the underprivileged in the society.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Stephen Adongo, Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Helena Obeng Asamoah, Co-ordinator of the Care Reform Initiative (CRI) at the Department of Social Welfare, said the CRI emphasised that orphanages which were not operating within the standards of the Social Welfare would be closed down by the end of 2009.
The Executive Director of the Association for Children’s Homes and Orphanages (ACHO), Mrs Caroline Aggrey-Fynn, recommended that orphanages should be supported and supervised adequately.
She appealed to the government, religious bodies, corporate organisations and other individuals to support training programmes for existing homes to enable the homes embark on a nation-wide education to sensitise the populace to the importance of adoption, fostering and responsible parenting, adding that, “caring for street children was a collective responsibility”.
For his part, Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Nicolas Lang, said it was disheartening to see children loitering the streets and reiterated that street children should be supported to be responsible.
He said resources should be sought in order to achieve the laudable initiative of discouraging children from staying on the streets.
The Face of the Universe 2007, Miss Alberta Arhin, who has been collaborating with CFC for philanthropic activities, said many street children left their families because of domestic violence or the breakdown of the family structure.
She added that whilst on the street, many children were exposed to prostitution, drug trafficking and other related social vices.