Tamale, June 17, GNA - The Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a Tamale NGO on Tuesday presented 120 bicycles to Child Surveillance Teams (CSTs) in two districts in the Northern Region to enable them to monitor and halt child trafficking. The beneficiaries are from 20 selected communities in the Savelugu/Nanton and the West Mamprusi Districts where child trafficking is rampant and RAINS with its donors are collaborating with the two assemblies to address the problem. The NGO earlier identified some 2,800 fostered girls as well as those from poor families, in the 20 communities and enrolled them in formal education with financial support from "Hope for Children" a UK NGO, so that they would not go into Kayayee business or being trafficked.

As part of the support, which is under RAINS' "Next Generation Project" the children received free school uniforms, sandals, school bags, exercise books and other teaching and learning aids to ensure that they stayed in school.

Mr. Nyadia Sulemana, Project Officer who handed over the 120 bicycles as the first consignment of 200 to Alhaji Abubakari Atori, Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive (DCE) on behalf of the beneficiaries said combating child trafficking and labour was a means of building a crime-free nation.

He said over the years RAINS had been working to improve the livelihoods of needy children and their mothers as a means of controlling child trafficking and labour. He said the NGO had paid Health Insurance premiums for 8,000 children and 1,600 mothers in the 20 communities of the two districts while 1,500 mothers had also received soft loans to start some income generating activities to better their lives. Mr. Sulemana said the project was a community strategy to ensure that children were safe to live and get education from their own community but not easily lured into child trafficking and labour to jeopardise their future.

Alhaji Abubakari Atori, Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive (DCE) who received the bicycles on behalf of the two districts expressed hope that with increased surveillance, the fight against child trafficking would be won. At the same function, the NGO also presented cheques for GH¢ 2,000 to each of the districts as part payment of National Health Insurance premiums to mothers of children under 18 years who RAINS was sponsoring.