ACTIVITY REPORT ON COMMUNITY CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE INAUGURATION AND ADVOCACY ADANSI SOUTH (JUNE – 2022)

 

  Narrative
  Ministry/Department/NGO:

 

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Contact Person/s:

 

MS. MATILDA ACHIAA YEBOAH – COMM. DEV’T

 

Contact details (Phone/email) 0249743131/abenaachiaa2015@gmail.com

 

 

T Amount/Funds Received  
   
Reporting period (start and end date):  JUNE 2022
 

Geographical coverage (indicate name of regions and districts)

 

ADANSI SOUTH, ASHANTI REGION 
Number of communities reached  TEN:(10) COMMUNITIES
 

 

 

Output 3, Activity 3.3

NGOs/Ministry / Department activity reference (if applicable):

 

SOCIAL WELFARE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Expected results (Intermediate Result) to which this activity is contributing:

 

By 2025, children, the Traditional Authority, parents, caregivers and the community members in selected community understands and demonstrate positive behavior that shapes the adolescents/children in their development stages from violence, abuse exploitation, discrimination and neglect.

 

1

 

 

Activity Report – what happened? (What? Where? Who? When?)

 

INTRODUCTION:

The team comprises of Eight (8) field officers from the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, worked in ten (10) communities which include Amudurase,   Kwame Agyei, Wuruyie, Nyamebekyere , Menang, Akuaku, Ataase, Asonkore ,Afedie and ,Bronikrom  

 

In these communities, the team members were tasked to inaugurate the ten community child protection committees that were formed and trained of their various roles and responsibilities. Facilitators were again tasked to advocate on the need of parents to take full responsibilities of their children and also give in their full support to the committees formed in their discharge of their duties.

.

 During the inauguration stage, the team engaged the target communities in durbars and in focus group discussions. In the communities, the team with the help of the Child Protection community facilitation toolkits, educated the inhabitants.  

 

 

INUAGURATION AND ADVOCACY OF COMMUNITY CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE

During the child protection committee inauguration and advocacy section   in the ten (10) communities mentioned earlier, the team introduced the seven persons that formed the CCPC to the inhabitance that formed the durbar. The team leaders together with the Assemblymen of the various communities and the chiefs of the communities confirmed the communities and ensured them of their unflinching support in their discharge of their duties.  Nananom of aforementioned communities also made it clear to the community members of the sanctions that will be melted out to any parent/caregivers who tries to undermine the activities of the committee.

 Again during the inauguration it was realized that eight of the communities have  in place community volunteer group who normally watch over the community to ensure that children of school going age are not seen outside  at hours of  9:00 pm and beyond also pledged their support to the committee in their discharge of their duties in protecting children at the communities .The other two communities which are Akwaku and Menang   do not have the volunteer and  with the support from their chiefs have decided to form one to support the CCPC.  

 

During the advocacy stage of the child protection program at the community   the following issues were pertinent.

 

 

                               CHILD LABOUR

·         During the advocacy section, communities such as Wuruyie, Akwaku and Afedie are well noted for the use of children for farm work, especially during the planting and harvesting seasons. This thereby leads to low retention of students in schools, a typical evidence is the confession of a native from Wuruyie community, Madam Mariam who attest to the fact that, most of the youth drift to Fumso and Praso to emback on Kayaye just for survival.  

 

·         The facilitators educated the inhabitance on the need to allow their children to be in school during school hours. They went further to educate the community on the importance of enrolling their adolescents in vocational skills such as sewing, hairdressing, carpentry and others to prevent the youth from drifting into the cities.

RESOLUTION

·         In areas where child labour activities persist, the team impressed upon the Traditional Authorities (Nananom/Opinion Leaders) and the entire community to come together and stop using children for farm work. Nananom from Menang community promised to fight against the menace.

·         The teams again promised to have continuous engagement with the communities which they believe will reduce the child labor issues within the district.

·         Also, communities where there are low child labour issues, the facilitators encouraged Nananom as well as the inhabitants not to involve their children in child labour since its adverse effects on the child, development is in a large size.

 

 

 

ON-LINE SAFETY 

·         Another pertinent issue been encountered during advocacy phase is the use of the mobile phones/ the internet by the adolescents in the various communities. There was a clear indication that adolescents in communities such as Ataase, Amudurase and Menang abuses the use of the phone as well as the internet. Most of the youth the team interacted with in such communities lay bare what they use the internet as well as the phone: for mobile scamming, watching of pornographic films, sending of nude pictures. Among the ill aspect with the use of the mobile phones, the positive aspect cannot also be overlooked. The team engagement with most of the community school children, the students attest to the fact that, the phone/the internet is helping them with studies, connecting them also to their old friends, easy access in delivering information and other good aspect were discussed by them.

 

·         The team educated the community members especially the adolescent on the risks and opportunities with respect to the use of the internet. At the children level, the students were educated to avoid downloading and consuming inappropriate content but rather use it for educational purposes and also help their future development.

 

 

·         Parents/caregivers also promised to monitor their children on the use of the internet/phone

 

CHILD MARRIAGE

Adansi South district is inhabited by so many tribes and is equally dominated by Fantes and Ewes who on religious grounds have the believe to give in a child’s hands in marriage to avoid sexual promiscuity. During the team,s  engagement with the communities such as Asonkore and Wuruyie ,they  recorded higher rate of child marriage.A typical  example is that of a teenage girl Rukaya from Wuruyie. She openly confessed that, fathers willingly give out their children in marriage just for small favours (assisting in farm work, lending of money, buying of cigarette, giving out akpeshie) from their friends.

 

The team sensitized the inhabitants in all the communities visited on the need to allow their children go to school or if possible, enroll them in any form of vocation.

 

The team again educated the community members on the health implications on the lives of the young ones who are given into early marriage.

 

RESOLUTION.

The opinion leaders (Nananom) from all the communities visited pledged their support to fight against any form of child marriage henceforth with the support from CCPC

 

The team also made it known to the girls to take steps to report to social welfare, community development and NCCE of them being forced into early marriage for the necessary action to be taken.

 

 

The adolescent girls the team had encountered with also promised to have a good behavior and focus so much on their students in order not to get pregnant and been forced to marry

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

N What was achieved? What change did you note/observe?

 

 

Besides, the numerous challenges been encountered due to the nature of the roads leading to the communities ,the CCPC committee formed and inaugurated are actively discharging their duties as the time they were  not inaugurated hence the possibility of them working hard in protecting children at the communities now that they have been inaugurated

 

 

Highlights / Successes:

 

·         During the team engagement with the ten new communities, traditional Authorities (Nananom), parents, caregivers, school authorities, teachers and the students embraced the program and and have promised to desist from any form of abuse as well as child labour and in totality protect the Ghanaian child.

·         The successes is futuristic and continuous engagement will definitely make greater impact

Constraints / Challenges:

 

·         Adansi South is well known to be an agrarian district hence the use of children for farm work during planting and harvesting seasons. This is a plight to the child’s development and educational upliftment. Although there is an introduction of modern technology where by tractors are been used to sow seeds and also for harvesting but few affluent farmers patronize it leaving huge number with the children’s assistance.

 

 

 

*Owing to the above constraints, parental neglect contributes to them all. Most parents/caregivers within the targeted communities have neglected most of their responsibilities by providing for their children basic needs hence engaging in  menial job for survival .  

    

Evaluation (indicate which was used and provide a brief description of analysis of evaluation from participants)

 

FORMS                                          VERBAL

 

Verbal, as well as, forms were used for the facilitation in the community engagements. The team, after every community meeting, collected verbal responses from the participants about the impact of the visits.

 

 

Next steps? Recommended follow up: 
(Where to from here?) 
·         There is need for continuous education and monitoring to ascertain and measure the progress of work done so far since change with respect to education is futuristic.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Constrained
On track
Met
Color-coded Rating of Progress
No Progress
 
Discontinued
 

Based on the narrative provided above, please indicate how the Intermediate Result is progressing by ticking the rating below. Note that the activity/activities reported should contribute to the intermediate result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final signatures:

 

Name :

MATILDA ACHIAA YEBOAH
 

Position:

SENIOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
 

Signed:

 
 

Date:

 

 

 

 

ANNEX 1:

Table 1:  Geographical coverage of the interventions

Geographical coverage (please insert numbers not names)
Number of Regions Number of districts Number of communities Number of schools
  1 10  

 

Table 2: Number of people reached through community interventions

Number of people reached by age groups Children aged below 18 yrs Above 18 years
Females Males Females Males
Number of people who attended sensitization sessions or community dialogues        
Number of people who attended durbars or others:

TEN (10)  COMMUNITIES

 

 

156

 

183

808

 

       909

 

Total 156 183        808 909

   

Table 3: Number of stakeholders trained

Number of Key stakeholders reached Above 18 years
Females Males
Number of community leaders 25 45
Number of religious leaders    
Number of members of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs)
Number government or NGO employees trained    
Total 25 45

 

Table 4: Tools/Exercises from toolkit used to engage audience – list them under the categories

Tools for Engaging Children Tools for Engaging Families Tools for Engaging Communities
     
     
   

 

 

 
     
     

 

Table 5: Number of Reported cases

Total number of cases reported
Type of abuse 0-5 years 6-18 years Above 18 years
Females Males Females Males Females Males
Child marriage            
Child Abuse/violence            
Severe corporal punishment            
Sexual abuse            
Others (specify)

Child Labour

Child Neglect

     

7

 

 

9

 

   
Total     7 9    

 

Table 6: Stories of MSC – Please attach any stories collected during the reporting period.

Number of Human Interest Stories collected 3
Number of people who participated in selecting, and validating the collected Human Interest Stories Community level District level Regional level
  8  
Number of Most Significant Change (MSC) Stories collected 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Documents, News.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *