Children without a safe home often end up living on the streets, in child labour and are at high risk of abuse
Child marriage and a harmful belief in "spirit children" are holding children back and putting them at risk
Our Child Protection Goal
To ensure all children are safe and supported
What we do in Child Protection
Reduce the number of children living without a home that is conducive to their well-being and development; promoting rehabilitation with a family home over institutional care wherever possible
Reduce the prevalence of issues threatening child rights like child marriage, the Spirit Child Phenomenon, child streetism and harmful child labour
Learn more about the Spirit Child Phenomenon in our FAQs section
Improve the availability and quality of facilities and protection services for children at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation
How lives have changed
When Richmond couldn't walk or sit like other children his age, his family began to worry. His mother, Victoria, did everything she could to support him but she had little understanding of his condition or how best to help him be more mobile.
She was desperate to help her son and took him to a local traditional doctor who suggested they visit the Sirigu Child Rights Centre where the AfriKids team were supporting other children with similar disabilities.
Here Victoria was told about the orthopaedic and physiotherapy clinics run fortnightly for children and parents just like her and Richmond. Medical volunteers offer support to children with similar conditions, assessing their individual situation, identifying a treatment plan and teaching parents how to support them with physiotherapy.
With help from the team, Richmond's condition has dramatically improved. He now has the physical strength to move himself around, sit up and can even use a specially adapted tricycle! All this means he can join others from his community at school and has been given the independence that other children his age have.
Gloria is in her final year of Junior High. She is a member of her local AfriKids Child Rights club and has ambitions to become a nurse.
As part of the club, Gloria has attended a number of talks on issues impacting her community such as child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
Many girls in Gloria’s school dropped out early because they couldn't continue their studies alongside taking care of a baby. Gloria remarked how she believes that “their lives will not be good for them” as a result.
She described how the talks taught her that teenagers should wait until they are ready to start having children and this has inspired her to remain focused on her education in order to set a good example to her younger siblings.
AfriKids UK Head Office:
AfriKids, Unit G05,
The Record Hall,
16-16A Baldwin's Gardens,
London,
EC1N 7RJ
AfriKids Ghana Head Office:
PO Box 166
Bolgatanga
Upper East Region
Ghana
Registered charity in England and Wales: 1141028
Registered NGO in Ghana: DSW/3024
Registered in The Netherlands. Tax no: 8238.13.289
