IT is often difficult to put behind us the past misgivings and ethnic sentiments that we have against people from other ethnic groups because we have grown up with these ill-feelings.
Children are mostly the instruments used to perpetuate such hatred and this leads to prolonged conflicts.
The children are indoctrinated with hate ideas, prejudices and ethnocentric sentiments, thereby preparing them to pursue the conflicts started by their great grandfathers.
It is to bring a stop to this practice that two non-governmental organisations, the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) and Tuma Kavi Development Programme, have been engaging children in the Eastern corridors of Northern Region in activities that tend to unite them.
It is the belief of these two organisations that helping to groom the children to love each other could be a major catalyst in ending conflicts in that part of the region.
Therefore, the CCFC and Tuma Kavi organise activities such as sports and other play activities to bring the children together to socialise and appreciate the value of each other.
One of such events took place over the weekend at Demon in the Saboba district, where most of the indigenes are either Kokombas or Dagombas, with a portion of them being settlers of Ewe origin.
Children selected from seven schools representing the various communities in the district took part in various outdoor sporting events.
At the end of it all, children from the Kpalba L/A primary school emerged the overall winners, whiles their colleagues from Demon L/A primary school were rewarded for their fair play.
In fact, the CCFC has carved a niche for itself in implementing interventions that help improve the welfare of children and women in deprived communities.
It has done this through various ways, such as the provision of schools, clinics, micro-credit, water facilities and educational materials.
It is therefore not surprising that the CCFC has extended its tentacles to peace efforts since it acknowledges the fact that the children need to grow in an atmosphere of harmony and hope of a better future.
“In all, about 20,000 children have benefited from the support we have provided in education alone,” Madam Sanatu Nantogma, the Country Director of the CCFC stated during the organisation’s 50th anniversary symposia.
According to her, from 2003 to date, a total of about 15.5 million Canadian dollars has been spent on various projects aimed at securing a better livelihood for children and women in deprived communities.
“Many children have ambitions and will like to achieve them. They want to be doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots and great footballers. How can they achieve these dreams if we do not help them today,” she asked, rhetorically.
According to the Programme Officer of Tuma Kavi, Mr Joshua Mogre, his organisation would remain committed to implementing child-centred interventions, not only to meet their physical needs, but to improve their general social and psychological wellbeing.
“This is why we only do not construct schools, but proceed to provide learning and play materials to create an enabling environment for their development,” he noted.
Mr Mogre pointed out that the play activities would not only engender positive socialisation among the children of various ethnic groups, but also build on their physical and mental health.
