WHILES the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), an international child-centred organisation, is marking its 50th anniversary globally, its branch in Ghana is celebrating 15 years of service to deprived children and communities in Ghana.
The CCFC commenced operations in the country in 1996 with the desire to address the phenomenon of head pottering (Kayayei), at a time when it was gaining national attention.
Little by little, the organisation expanded its operations and is now functional in 13 districts in the Northern Region, including Tamale, the regional capital.
In all these places, the CCFC has worked to improve the wellbeing of children, families and communities in the area of health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation, micro-enterprise development and institutional capacity.
At a durbar in Tamale to climax the anniversary celebrations, the Country Director of the CCFC, Madam Sanatu Nantogma mentioned some of the achievements chalked by her organisation over the past years.
“In education, we have constructed more than 30 classroom blocks with offices and stores, provided dual desks and teachers to 32 schools and organised literacy classes in 65 communities,” she stated.
Madam Sanatu noted that what was more pleasing to the CCFC was the establishment of ten early childhood development centres in various communities to support nursery education.
“In all, about 20,000 children have benefited from the support provided in education alone,” she added.
For health and nutrition, the country director mentioned that over the last five year, the CCFC had provided drugs for Malaria and worm control to the Ghana Health Service for administration to school children.
The CCFC, she noted, have also played a key role in the construction of clinics in some deprived communities and has also helped improve the nutrition of children by instituting a school feeding programme in some areas.
The provision of rainwater harvesting tanks and hand dug wells readily comes to mention as the CCFC’s contribution towards improving rural inhabitants’ access to potable water.
According to Madam Sanatu, “the CCFC has provided more than 30 hand dug wells, over 100 rainwater harvesting tanks and a dam complete with filtration to schools.”
She also mentioned the construction of household latrines for numerous homes and schools in deprived communities.
Madam Sanatu admits however that all these support, together with many others, could not have been possible without the support of funding agencies and partner organisations.
“From 2003 to date, a total of about 15.5 million Canadian dollars has been spent on our communities, thanks to our sponsors, grants and special project donors,” she stated.
She however expressed the hope that one day, well-to-do Ghanaians and institutions would lead the way in providing hope to children and families that are deprived.
“Many children have ambitions and will like to achieve them. They wanted 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.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba commended the CCFC for being a trusted partner in development over the years.
He noted that the initiatives of the CCFC were in tandem with the policies and programmes of the government, adding that “our government is a social democratic one and therefore it places premium on measures that seek to lift the people from poverty.”
The minister mentioned the Free Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), the Capitation Grant and the provision of free uniforms and textbooks to children as some of the measures being championed by the government to improve education in the country.
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