The programme is in line with the organisation’s Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) that supports children who stand the risk of losing parental care focused on engagement to educate, enlighten and sensitize the community members on the negative effects of their actions on the growth and future development of the child.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency Mr. Joseph Agoona, the Tamale FSP Coordinator said the impact of community engagement in the fight against child labour could not be under estimated.

He said community engagement was a critical component of the FSP which seeks to support children in the communities at risk of losing parental care. “The Datoyili community was specifically chosen for its peculiar nature in engaging children in farming during the raining season at the expense of their education. This has contributed significantly to low school attendance during this period and consequently impacted negatively on the education of the children,” he stated.

He further explained that the essence of the programme was to educate parents, caregivers and the community members on how their actions constituted child labour and the negative effects it could have on the growth of their children.

He encouraged parents, care givers and the community members to take the education of their children seriously as it builds their capacity for the future. Parents and care-givers present were happy for the sensitization and promised to prioritise the education of their children instead of allowing them to work on their farms. The Assemblyman of the Datoyili electoral area Mr. Abu Haruna was also full of praise for SOS Children’s Villages Ghana for their continuous interventions and pledged the local Assembly’s commitment to work with SOS CV to end the recurrent case of child labour in the community.