Don't face out child rights protection project

Kuntanase (Ash), July 20, GNA - Phasing out the Child Rights Protection Project this month will be a big blow to the country since the project is yielding good results in the communities in which it operates.

Mr Ted Oppong, Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District Focal Person of the Project, who stated this said the government should think of sustaining the project and to extend it to other communities. Speaking at a day's workshop organised for members of child panels from 40 communities in which the project operates in the district, the Focal Person said the introduction of the project had created awareness on issues such as child abuse and irresponsible parenthood.

Mr Oppong said since the introduction of the project there had been a reduction in the drop out rate in schools in the district from five percent to 2.6 percent especially in communities operating the child panel system.

There had also been a major improvement in enrolment from 22,579 to 36,432 last year.

He said reports from the communities stated that candidates who sat the 2003 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) recorded 100 percent success as against the previous 15 percent.

Mr Oppong said this helped the district to place 23rd in the national placement of the BECE, adding that through awareness creation, eight children in the history of Prabon gained admission to senior secondary schools, five of them being girls.

Mr Bright Addai-Mununkum, District Chief Executive, urged the panellists to act as role models and not to relent in their efforts at seeking the welfare of children.

He said now that Save The Children Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) from the United Kingdom, sponsors of the project were leaving the scene, the District Assembly would sustain the programme by allocating a substantial amount for it to enable the panel members to continue with the good work they were doing and also added his voice to the review of the sponsorship of the project.