The church has been urged to show more compassion towards vulnerable children to protect them from all forms of harm.
“God has called the church to protect the vulnerable by seeing to their welfare. So it is very important for Christians to actively get involved in acts that further promotes the safety of vulnerable children to make the world a better place for them.”
Reverend Grace Asiedu, a chaplain of the Ghana Prisons Service, made the admonishing on Sunday during the launch of a Manual for Vulnerable Children Ministry at the Ghana Cedar Mountain Chapel, Accra.
The 40-page manual was put together by two child-centered organisations, Ghana Without Orphans (GWO) and the Bethany Christians Services Ghana.
According to Rev. Asiedu, God looked at children in a very special way therefore it behooved Christian entities, especially the church, to make child protection a priority.
Doing this, she said attracted blessings and indicated that the will of the almighty God was being fulfilled.
Launching the manual, the Abeka District Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Mr Richmond Tettey, indicated that the manual was a “must have for all churches” in the country and beyond because it gave a guide to how children must be treated properly.
He stated that that the manual also provided details on understanding family- based care, principles for caring for vulnerable children and how the church could become an agent of change in the care for vulnerable children, among others.
Explaining further, he noted that the manual throws more light on the need for churches to understand that caring for vulnerable children in families must become the church’s foundational culture.
He lamented that many children had found themselves in unpleasant situations that had exposed them to many forms of abuses, hunger and other disheartening conditions so the church must rise up to the defence of children to salvage the situation.
Reverend George Abaidoo, founder and national coordinator GWO, on his part underscored the need for children to be brought up in a family setting, instead of orphanages, saying family-based care had been proven to be the best for children.
Orphanages, he said, should not be a permanent place for children because growing up in a family environment had many positive effects on a child.
He, therefore, called on individuals and institutions to put efforts together to support all foster parents across Ghana to take care of children who had lost their parents, and had no hope for support from family members.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
