Mr. Anthony Kwaku Amoah, a Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Ghana Education Service (GES), has urged non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and stakeholders to continue to help schools to fight child abuse. He said the school alone lacked the means to effectively tackle the rising cases of drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse of children, hence, the need for stakeholders to join hands.

Mr. Anthony Amoah was speaking at a four-day programme dubbed, “Destiny Summit” organised by Compassion International-Ghana, a NGO, for about 500 children of the Tongu Cluster of Projects for the organisation at the Pentecost Convention Centre.

According to him, the nation would suffer to develop if stakeholders should stop partnering the school to tackle issues that confront the development of the child. “There is no way that GES alone can effectively fight child abuse and other things that negatively affect child development and training. I believe in the saying that the task of providing good quality education to children is a collective one.

“As I commend you (referring to Compassion International) for organising this summit, I challenge you to intensify your efforts at tackling cases of abuse, such as child marriage, child trafficking and defilement that hit hard at our society in recent times”, he said.

He urged the children to study hard and be disciplined, adding, “Avoid bad friends and talk to your parents and teachers over things that trouble you or you do not understand”.

Mrs. Mercy Koukoryi, a Youth Development Officer of Compassion, reiterated her organisations’ resolve to work with parents, churches and communities to reduce poverty and to promote proper development of the child.

She advised the children to be serious with their studies and learn to respect their parents and elders in order for them to continue to receive the blessings of God and to live long. Mr. Richard Baku, the Partnership Facilitator of the Tongu Cluster of Projects for Compassion, said that his outfit, which was opened in the year 2012, now boasts of about 4,000 beneficiary children.

“Let us see it as a divine mandate to help children and adolescents discover their God-given gifts and talents and consciously guide them to develop them. In so doing, they will become useful to the family, church, society and the nation at large”, he urged.