Accra, May 3, GNA - Mr Michael Wempare Alongyah, Founder of Kayayee Association of Ghana (KAG), has appealed to government to develop a legislation that would prevent children from migrating from the northern to the southern part of Ghana in search of better livelihood. "It is worrying to find out that children between the ages of seven to 10 years abandon their education and travel from the north to the south particularly to Accra with the intention of looking for work. "Now there are about 7,000 of these people who are into Kayayee (women porters) in the various major markets in Accra including, Agbobloshie, Tema Station and Mallam Atta market," he said. Mr Alongyah was speaking at a ceremony organised by Zain Ghana to distribute about 400 National Health Insurance cards to members of the Mallam Atta Market branch of KAG.

The move was part of a sponsorship package offered the association by Zain when its founder was awarded in the company's life changing programme "Zain Touching Lives" (ZTL). The ZTL is a television reality show that sought to recognized individuals who had transformed the lives of people in their communities.

As part of the package the company was supporting the association's drive to educate young girls in the northern part of Ghana to stem rural-urban migration. Mr Ato Afull, External Affairs and Government Relations Executive of Zain, said the gesture was an extension of ZTL initiative to complement government's efforts in providing quality healthcare to the citizenry.

"This is the usual case of Kayayee; always helpless and at the mercy of cheap labour and environment where they are vulnerable to poor health condition, physical and mental abuse. "The card being offered will enable them to have free out-patient service, oral health treatment, maternity care and immediate medical attention," he said. Mr Afull said Zain's programmes were geared towards supporting government's effort to achieve the Millenium Development Goals in the area of maternal health as well as combating diseases including malaria.

03 May 10