The Director of Engage Now Africa , an NGO, Komla Afazi, has urged the government to support vulnerable communities with livelihood empowerment programmes to enable them to become financial independent.
That, he explained, would prevent them from giving out their children to traffickers who enslaved them for their own selfish interests
Mr Afazi said this when he presented livelihood supporting programmes to relatives of some 14 survivals of child trafficking at old Ningo in the greater Accra region
The 14 who were trafficked internally to Ashaiman, Osu, Atadeka, Afienya, Ada all in the Greater Accra Region, were rescued last month by the NGO after months of painstaking investigation, 12 were trafficked form old Ningo
The grand mother of five of the survivors, Grace Farai, a fish monger, was presented with a Chest freezer and some money, while another female, Belinda, who was rescued at Ada, received an undisclosed amount of money to establish a business .
Mr Afazi stated that even though children were supposed to be nurtured to become independent and responsible adults, some parents continued to neglect their children while others sold them to traffickers who paid them between GH30 to GH40 a month, while the children suffered under inhuman conditions.
He said even though a lot had been done for parents, the government needed to do more, through social interventions to enable the children to become responsible adults.
The director urged the beneficiaries to effectively utilise the package in order not go back to their past deeds, and warned that any parent caught misapplying the package would not be spared.
He commended the department of social welfare, the Domestic Violence and victims Support Unit (DOVUSU) of the immense support, and called for more collaboration to end the practice.
Mr Afazi commended Forever Young Foundation, Kesington Capital Holding and TERRA healing Hands for financially supporting the NGO and urged other philanthropists to get on board and stop the practices.
Madam Farizi commended the group for the gesture and assured them that the resources would be effectively utilised to transform the lives of the children.
FROM LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU, OLD NINGO
