For more than 20 years Chance for Children has been strengthening street-connected children and their families in Ghana by providing a chance to build a better future.
OVER 2,100 CHILDREN STRENGTHENED IN 2021
OUR TEAM OF 60+ STAFF HAS BEEN SERVING DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY OVER 2100 STREET-CONNECTED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN GHANA FROM 4 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
2100 Children, youth and families in Ghana participated in the various programs in our departments.
220 Children our additional "Back to School Project" were additionally strengthened through a close cooperation with our social workers and the implementation of workshops.
4 villages around Tamale and 2 communities in Kumasi were additionally strengthened through a close cooperation with our social workers and the implementation of workshops.
INTEGRATED APPROACH
STREET WORK, FAMILY REUNIFICATION AND PREVENTION
Since 2020, CFC has employed an integrated approach of Street Work, Family Reunification, and Prevention Work in Communities to address the needs of street-connected children and their families. Based on the positive results, we are replicating our approach in the socio-cultural context of this location with a team of trained social workers who understand the socio-cultural environment.
CFC attaches huge relevance to networking, and we aim to expand our cooperation with local partners in several locations. We believe this is the only true way to find holistic and effective solutions for street-connected children and their families.
Children on the move
Thousands of street-connected children are constantly on the move in Ghana and so are we at Chance for Children. It is our mission to understand the root causes of why children leave their families and move to the streets, as well as to understand the migration routes of the children. This knowledge helps us plan the right interventions at the right locations across Ghana.
Children are either forced to move, move with the consent of their family, or move on their own accord. If they are looking for work, they move to where the work is.
Generally, children in Ghana travel south towards more urban areas. They walk long distances for days to get to the centre, where they work for weeks or months to save money for transportation to their next destination. Many children move from the north to Kumasi and from there to Takoradi, while others pass through Dambai in their way to Accra.
Across the different regions of the country, vulnerable children are engaged in various forms of child labour. Along the coasts of Takoradi, Accra, Cape Coast, and along the Volta Lake through Dambai and Ho, children engage in fishing-related activities including dangerous fishing in the night, or do trading, farming or even sell their bodies through prostitution.
All across Ghana children have enormous needs. If these needs are not addressed, more and more children will continue to leave their homes to the streets and will unlikely find their way back to their families.
This is the reason why CFC is moving to them: in 2023 we are expanding to two new locations —Takoradi and Dambai—, with the aim of being closer to where the needs of children on the streets are more severe.