With its
population of 31.07 million (2020), Ghana is seen as a
relatively stable democracy supported by an economy
buoyed by gold and cocoa exportation. Oil reserves found
off the coast are likely to boost the economy further in
years to come. Yet, in the
north of the country, poverty is rife with a short rainy
season barely supporting subsistence farming causing
food shortages resulting in chronic malnutrition. This
poor water supply leads to the spread of waterborne
disease amongst the child population ranging from
bacterial and protozoal diarrhoea, to hepatitis A and
typhoid fever.
Ghana is in
138th place out of 189 countries and territories in 2019 in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and living standards of
a country. Literacy rates are as low as 1% in some areas and every year,
malaria kills at least 20,000 children. 160,000
children in Ghana have been orphaned by AIDS and a further 17,000 children
under the age of 15yrs are infected themselves out of a total child population
of just over 10.5 million. Many children from the north
make their way south to escape poverty and lack of education in the hope of
finding employment in urban areas like Accra and Kumasi, however most just end
up on the streets. It is estimated that the child street population of Accra
stands at 26,000. Whilst child labour is illegal in Ghana, its a reality for
many children with thousands engaged in portering, domestic servitude and farm
labouring just to stay alive.
Child sponsor programs in Ghana
focus main on the north and north-east of the country providing access to safe
water in the north, caring for orphans and abandoned children, educational
provision and AIDS prevention and awareness You can help when you sponsor a child in Ghana.
Child Sponsor Ghana: SOS Children's Villages
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Child Sponsor Ghana: Children in Ghana
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Child Sponsor Ghana: Volunteer in Ghana
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