Staff of RAINS welcomed the Hon. DCE and special guests to a presentation ceremony with Community Surveillance Teams of Savelugu-Nanton and Walewale Districts on June 17th 2008.

Representatives from 20 Community Surveillance Teams arrived to the Mandela Development Centre for the presentation of resources intended to be used in efforts against child trafficking and child labour. 

The New Generation Programme aims to prevent and withdraw a total of 2800 fostered girls and girls from poor families, from unplanned migration and kayaye.

District Assemblies were presented with bicycles, to be distributed to the CST’s for use in community surveillance and monitoring of child attendance at school in the districts.

Cheques have also been paid on behalf of 1600 mothers and children to the NHIS to provide for their health care. As part of the NGP initiative, 1500 mothers are also to receive microloans for the starting of income generating activities along with other resources to support access to education and training.

The Programme Officer for NGP at RAINS was quick to emphasis that community policing was not being established but that the programme, funded by Comic Relief UK, has set out to support the development of a healthy, stable environment where child welfare in the community is promoted and child labour and child trafficking discouraged.

RAINS has been working with two Districts over the past year to develop the tools with community members for ensuring access of the child and their mothers to educational, health, financial and other resources.  The meeting and presentation represented the culmination of the course of the year’s project work, which has also involved:

-          The establishment of Community Surveillance Teams in 20 communities to monitor child school attendance, labour and trafficking.

-          community sensitization workshops on the ills in excluding girls from basic education. These have brought together chiefs, women’s groups, teachers and CSTs in both districts.

-          establishment of CSTs  as monitoring agents

-          the enrollment of 1600 girls in school.

-          The distribution of school uniforms, books and sandals to 1600 school girls.

-          400 young girls to undergo vocational training; eg: dress-making.

-          200 bicycles in total for use by CSTs in community surveillance.

Lessons learnt through previous programmatic work by RAINS has shown that these are key inputs necessary for best practice; and have incorporated them into a combination of community strategies for the New Generation Programme.