February 2012 AfriKids is a Child Rights Organisation working to improve life for Ghana’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in a holistic, inclusive and sustainable manner
CHILD RIGHTS More AfriKids Child Rights Clubs are
requested by the Ghana Education Service Last year, the Upper East Region of Ghana saw exam results decrease everywhere... apart from in the schools which run AfriKids Child Rights Clubs. AfriKids have been asked by the Ghana Education Service to increase the number of Child Rights Clubs from just under 50 to 273. Not only are we, at AfriKids, delighted to see such tangible results from our work, we are also delighted to be invited to expand our work in conjunction with and at the request of the Ghana Education Service. In 2007 the International Labour Organisation funded a SCREAM
programme (Securing Child Rights through Education, Arts and Music) in conjunction with Operation Sunlight. The idea is to engage children in song, drama, poetry recitals, quizzes and debates but above all, boost confidence levels and teach children that they have rights. This scheme was so well received that AfriKids replicated and adapted them as Child Rights Clubs. They are now common place throughout all of AfriKids’ projects. A further benefit of these clubs is that it draws the attention of the community to the child rights issues and unites the School Management Committees Group, Parent Teacher Association, the presidents of the Child Rights Clubs (children who have earned the responsiblity of being ‘President’) and all the children in the
clubs. It is a unique and successful approach to education which in turn, achieves higher enrolment figures in schools and higher exam results. We look forward to watching the progress of many more children after expanding.
“Just two months after establishing the AfriKids child rights club our JHS2 class enrolment is up by 67%” Clement Azupio, Headmaster Duulugu Junior High School