Children under the age of ten in some rural communities in the Northern Region of Ghana engage in cattle and sheep herding every morning and afternoon, before and after school.
As shown in the photographs, these children, some in their school uniform, were grazing cattle and sheep at Yung and Ando in the Northern and North East region respectively.
The children explained that they had to do these jobs before and after school in order to support their parents to provide for their needs.
Mr Abdulai Salma, a volunteer teacher at Ando in the Chereponi District in the North East Region said most of the children who indulged in herding perform very poorly in class because of lateness to class.
He said the children came to school very tired, and were always sleeping in class.
“Despite our interventions to educate the parents the effect the practice is having on their wards, they don’t adhere to our plea,” he said.
“A parent once walked to the school to threaten us not to involve ourselves in the affairs of their children before and after school hours,” he lamented.
He said despite the efforts of the government and some non-governmental organisations to discourage this bad practice by some parents, it is not materialising.
From Geoffrey Buta, Yung
