Child development needs efforts of all citizens

The Pentecost Child Development Centre in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare has organized a sensitisation programme at Duayaw Nkwanta Community Centre to consider a number of activities which could help the communities manage a child.

The theme for the said programme was "Child Protection, Stakeholders’ Involvement."

The District pastor of the church of Pentecost, Mawuena Komla Akoto said children are gift from God. He indicated that improper management of child by parents could bring curse to the child's parents or society.

He urges all parents irrespective of their worth to cater for their children, it is the responsibility of parents to provide the needs of the children, teach the children the words of God, allow God to superintend the family among others.

Mr. Komla admonishes parents to implement gender equality principles and make sure the children are given equal opportunity when it comes to sharing and exercising views on matters of national interest.

The Tano North Municipal Director of Social Welfare, Madam Lovelace Eyiram touched on societal decline of morality and blamed parents for not teaching their children the commandments of God. She said the bad behavior adopted by some parents has induced the younger generation to engage in immoral activities such as drug abuse, armed robbery, sex trade among others. She urged all citizens to report both criminal and abuses to the appropriate quarters like police and social welfare for necessary action to be taken.

The Ahafo Regional Director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr. Eric Adu called on all and sundry to play a strategic role as stakeholders for protecting the development of every child in the country. He reiterated that a survey on love for the development of children has shown that many parents do not care for the development of their children. He however said the poor upbringing of children would jeopardize the Country’s developmental growth.

On Child protection Act, Mr. Adu cited the 1992 constitution article 28 and informed all parents to comply with the provisions in the aforementioned Act.

The Ahafo Regional Director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr. Eric Adu addressing the gathering called on all and sundry to play a strategic role as stakeholders. According to him, the love for the development of children have now diminished indicating that the deplorable state of children upbringing would ruin the future of the country’s developmental growth because the wellbeing of children translate into adulthood who later take the mantle of leadership.

Mr. Adu stressed that every child is unique and if the country failed to have well trained and well-cultured development of children for the future the country would not achieve its accelerated growth.

In referring to the 1992 constitution article 28 which talked about protection of every child and child maintenance, he draws the attention of the society to know that the child right and their responsibility is still paramount.

He gave statistics on a research conducted in 2003 on Child's development and revealed that about 800,000 children were seen on the streets, 51% slept on the street and 49% of them go home once in a while.

The programme was attended by school children, teachers, religious leaders, parents, staff of the Department of social welfare, NCCE, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service and Ghana Library.