Accra, Dec 27, GNA- The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Monday, partnered three Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), to fete more than 1,000 street children at Chorkor in the Ablekuma South Sub-Metro of Accra.
The group also provided health screening for hundreds of the aged, as well as distributed some items such as mosquito nets, pads and nose masks to the less privileged.
This formed part of a “Smile with the Street Children” initiative, which aims at bringing joy to the less privileged in society.
The three NGOs are: Aim Ghana Foundation, Glimmer of Hope Foundation and Give Me Hope Foundation.
Mr Wisdom Dordoe, President of Give Me Hope Foundation, in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the event, said the menace of street children continued to persist despite Government’s efforts to curb the trend.
He said the group chose Chorkor based on research, which indicated that the area contributed hugely to Accra’s streetism and school dropouts.
Mr Dordoe said as part of the NGO’s effort to reduce the number of children in the street in the area, it would offer scholarship to some street children to enable them acquire basic education.
“We cannot leave any child behind if we want to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. These children are our future and so it is important that they are well educated to prepare them for future leadership positions,” he said.
Mr Dordoe added that the NGO currently had over 300 children nationwide under its educational scholarship.
Mr Roland Affail Monney, President of the GJA, noted that many Ghanaians continued to grapple with food security, particularly children and the less privileged and underscored the importance of the outreach.
He said unfortunately, more often than not, the media gave attention to political agenda while they ignored the daily struggles people went through to make ends meet.
“The state of our health, our surrounding and the struggles that we go through to feed ourselves, all underline the need for the media to give their best in achieving the goals of food security, improved sanitation and the wellbeing of the good people of Ghana.
“The SDG 2 and 3 both underline the need for the media to maximise their contribution to achieve food security, improved nutrition, sustainable agriculture, improved health and the wellbeing of persons of all ages, including the elderly,” he said.
Mr Monney, while commending the NGOs for pooling resources to put smile on the faces of the deprived, applauded the media for playing a frontal role to help achieve the SDGs.
The outreach had support from Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South.
GNA