By Solomon Gumah
Zagyuri (N/R), Sept 01, GNA – Mrs Esinam Kavi De Souza, Country Director of Children Believe, a non-governmental organisation, has called on community leaders to put in place mechanisms that guarantee the holistic growth and development of children.
She emphasised the need for communities to complement the efforts of government and NGOs in ensuring that children were properly groomed into responsible citizens.
She said, “It is very important for all stakeholders to keep working together to ensure that all the harmful cultural practices are eliminated in our communities.”
Mrs De Souza made the call at an event at Zagyuri in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region to commemorate this year’s Ghana National Children’s Day.
It was on the theme: “The role of the Community in Eliminating Harmful Practices” and was characterized by drama on the effects of parental neglect, dangers associated with child abuse and broken homes.
Mr Iddrisu Sanday, Northern Regional Director, Department of Children, said “Children’s wellbeing and development require the active involvement of the community, parents, guardians and the state, thus a collaborative commitment is needful.”
He said it was necessary all parties played their responsibilities effectively to minimise crime amongst other vices in the country and advised children not to succumb to peer pressure and other negative cultural practices to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Mr Joshua Sayibu, Manager, Markaz Al-Bishara Child Development Programme (MABCDP), said the event was to solicit the support of stakeholders and community leaders for the growth and development of children.
He urged parents to prioritize the education of their children by providing their needs to help them concentrate on their studies.
Naa Iddrisu Alhassan, Chief of Zagyuri, who was represented at the event, commended MABCDP and partners for the campaign and appealed to government and other NGOs to help refurbish the Zagyuri Junior High School and equip its Information and Communication Technology laboratory with computers to facilitate teaching and learning of ICT.
MABCDP is a locally registered NGO, and has been working in the Kumbungu, Sagnarigu, and Gushegu Municipalities for over a decade in the areas of Education, Health and Nutrition, Water and Sanitation and Sustainable Livelihood.
MABCDP, marked the National Children’s Day in partnership with Children Believe, an international NGO, focusing on the total development of the child.
GNA