Source: newsthemegh.com/Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection
Street Children and vulnerable children have increased over the years in the urban centres and on streets because of family breakdowns, poverty, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, drug abuse, sexual works and death of their parents leaving them orphans with no one to care for them.
These children run to the streets, expecting to get assistance from people who are working.
In view of this, the Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with support from the Catholic Relief Services – CRS Ghana, held a validation meeting of the 5year Strategic Plan for Street-Connected Children on Tuesday 12th December 2023 in Accra.
The meeting aimed at bringing stakeholders together on the strategic plan to improve the well-being and opportunities of Street Children in the country by providing them with a holistic services which address their educational, health , Social and legal needs.
The strategic plan seeks to;
– Clarify identification processes and proper assessments for the most affected children for the right interventions.
– Increase the enrolment and retention of street children in formal and non-formal education programmes offered by NPOs stakeholders.
– Enhance the access and utilisation of health and social services provided by non-profit organisations to street children and their families.
– Strengthen the protection and promotion of the rights of street children by the Department through legal assistance, advocacy and policy reform.
Delivering her opening remarks, the Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Francisca Oteng Mensah said it is crucial to validate the strategic plan for the street-connected children because it is a road map to an equitable and just society.
This, she believes will enable every child to thrive and reach their full potential, she added.
Addressing the stakeholders on behalf of the Chief Director, Dr. Afisah Zakariah, the Director for the Department of Social Welfare, Rev. Dr Comfort Asare described the Strategic plan as a beacon of hope.
She however, stressed that stakeholders should work together to implement the plan with transparency and accountability.
A statement read by a Representative from the Catholic Relief Services, Mr. Wilfred Haruna expressed his appreciation to the Ministry and the Social Welfare Department for its commitment to ensuring that the policy framework is in place to guide the collective actions towards reducing the incidence of streetism in the country.
He pledged on the CRS continuous collaboration with the Ministry and the Department to strengthen the capacity of mandated institutions to drive the needed improvements in the lives of street-connected children and the vulnerable.