CEDEPA Concludes Activities in the Tolon District to mark the 2026 International Day for Street Children
The Centre for Development and Policy Advocacy (CEDEPA) has successfully concluded a series of community and school awareness raising campaigns in the Lungbunga, Lungbung-Gurugu, and Lungbung-Gundaa communities in the Tolon District of the Northern Region, as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day for Street Children.
The five-month awareness campaigns, which were implemented between January and May 2026, formed part of CEDEPA’s broader advocacy efforts to promote and safeguard the rights and well-being of vulnerable and street-connected children in northern Ghana. The community awareness campaigns directly reached out to about 2000 school children and teachers across five schools, and over 3000 parents and guardians, as well as key community stakeholders to deliberate on issues affecting children, particularly those exposed to streetism, neglect, exploitation, abuse, and social exclusion.
Observed globally on April 12 each year, the International Day for Street Children was commemorated under the theme “Protect, Not Punish: Strengthening Access to Justice for Street-Connected Children.” The global campaign called on governments, communities, and civil society organisations to replace stigma and criminalisation with care, protection, and inclusive support systems for vulnerable children.
During the outreach activities, CEDEPA engaged pupils and community members on child rights, responsible parenting, child protection and safeguarding, education, and the dangers associated with child neglect, child labour, drugs and substance abuse, and unsafe migration. The campaigns also highlighted the need for communities to create safe and supportive environments that allow children to thrive and realise their full potentials.
The campaigns further encouraged communities to take collective responsibility in protecting children from situations that may expose them to life on the streets. The communities were sensitised on the importance of education, guidance, psychosocial support, and community-based child protection mechanisms in safeguarding vulnerable children.
The school and community engagements were complemented with extensive media campaigns. In addition to playing jingles on radio and Television to sensitise communities on child rights, there were also live radio and TV programming. One kayayei returnee, one survivor of forced marriage and one female community role model from the Lungbunga, Lungbung-Gundaa and Lungbung-Gurugu Traditional areas were featured on Zaa Television and Radio Tamale to share their lived experiences and also advised parents, guardians and other young girls to take their education serious and to desist from early and forced marriages, kayayei migration and drug and substance abuse, among others.
The outreach campaigns in the three communities reflected CEDEPA’s continued dedication to advancing child protection and social inclusion initiatives in northern Ghana, particularly among marginalised and at-risk children.
The 2026 International Day for Street Children was commemorated in partnership with the Tolon District Department of Social Welfare and the National Commission for Civic Education, as well as CSO partners from the Coalition of NGOs against Streetism. The project lead, Mr. Ziblim Alhassan, expressed profound support to Adamfo Ghana for providing funding for these transformational awareness campaigns aimed at advancing child rights in the underserved areas of northern Ghana.
Source: Zaaghana.com
