Winneba, Sept. 10, GNA - Challenging Heights, a non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating in the Effutu Municipality has, between January and August, rescued 300 children from child labour in two cocoa growing areas and enrolled them in school. The Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, Mr James Kofi Annan, told the GNA in an interview that the children were rescued from Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa and Agona districts.

He said the NGO had targeted to rescue about 500 children from child labour from agriculture and stone cracking and enrol them in school this year if more financial assistance was obtained from donors. Mr Annan said his NGO rescued 21 children including eight girls, aged between 6 and 17, from Yeji last month and enrolled them in schools in the municipality adding that 10 more are expected to be rescued from Kpando this month.

Mr Annan said the education of the 300 children is being borne by the NGO in partnership with their parents and that the parents are paying one third while the NGO takes the rest. Mr Annan appealed to people in the area to stop giving their children out to be sent to communities along the Volta Lake for fishing. He also appealed to the government to extend more financial assistance or credit facilities to women in the Effutu area. Mr Annan said if the financial position of women in area was improved they would not be compelled by poverty to take money from people and allow them to take their children to do fishing to the disadvantage of their education.