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To mark United Nation’s Universal Children’s, members of the Family Matters Foundation Ghana joined the rest of the world celebrate the day set aside to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide.

Family Matters Foundation Ghana, a family oriented child safety and protection NGO actively took part in the celebration aimed at improving children’s welfare.

The United Nation’s Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year.  It was on November 20, 1959 that the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Family Matters Foundation Ghana made it their ultimate aim this year to disseminate information about the recently launched Child and Family Welfare Policy by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection at the local level.

The Foundation has an adopted rural farming community in the Upper West Akyem District of the Eastern region of Ghana called Maame Dede. It was therefore decided in collaboration with IBIS Ghana also an NGO, to use the month of November to disseminate information about the policy to the people of the community with the climax of the activities being an open forum on November 20.

Activities preceding the open forum on Friday November 20th included: focus group discussions with traditional leaders, women’s groups, opinion leaders, formation of a child rights club, and registration of 250 children in the community unto the NHIS.

The Odikro of the area, Nana Fianko Akotua, graced the occasion and called for more of such collaborations to assist with the development of his area. The special guest of honour Mr. Richard Dontoh, Regional Director of the Department of Children, representing the Minister of Gender Children and Social Protection, thanked Family Matters Foundation Ghana for a good job well done, but was quick to add that there is still a lot more to be done.


Other dignitaries at the event included the District Director of the NCCE, Kwaku Adu-Amankwaah, and the District Director of the Ghana Education Service, President and executives of the Ghana NGOs Coalition on the Rights of the Child etc.

The crowd was entertained by the children with several performances including drama, poetry recitals, dancing etc. Family Matters Foundation Ghana presented items of clothing, footballs and football jerseys donated by Haldimand Youth Soccer of Ontario Canada. The children and their families were later given food and other refreshments by Family Matters Foundation Ghana.

 

Since 2007, the Executive Director of the organisation Mrs. Irene Lorwia-Zakpaa has demonstrated her passion concerning the welfare and staged several activities and programmes for them in the country.