Yagaba: AfriKids Ghana, in collaboration with its partners, has successfully organised the first-ever Child Rights Festival under its flagship 'One Million Smiles Programme', marking a major milestone in child rights advocacy in northern Ghana. The festival, hosted in Yagaba within the Mamprugu-Moagduri District, gathered children, traditional authorities, government officials, and community leaders from the Mamprugu Moagduri District in the North East Region and Builsa South District in the Upper East Region, who are currently implementing the programme.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event offered a platform for children from selected schools across both districts to showcase their talents while advocating for their rights. Through drama, cultural performances, poetry recitals, and speeches, the children brought attention to key child rights issues affecting their lives and communities. Celebrated under the theme 'For Every Child, Every Right,' the festival highlighted AfriKids Ghana's dedication to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or location, enjoy their fundamental rights.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Raymond Akolbire Ayinne, the Communication and Advocacy Manager, Mr. David Pwalua, the Country Director of AfriKids Ghana, described the festival as more than a celebration, noting that it was a platform for dialogue between children and duty bearers. 'This festival is a space where children and duty bearers can engage meaningfully, listen to one another, and strengthen our shared commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of every child,' he said. He emphasized the importance of showcasing the talents and creativity of children, highlighting their potential to contribute positively to their communities when given the opportunity.
Mr. Pwalua expressed gratitude to the District Assemblies, the Ghana Education Service, traditional rulers, and community members for their support, acknowledging their collaboration as pivotal to the initiative's success. He further encouraged district assemblies, schools, traditional authorities, and communities across Ghana to adopt the Child Rights Festival as a regular activity, even in areas where AfriKids does not operate. 'Let the Child Rights Festival become a tradition across all districts in Ghana. By doing so, we will ensure that every child has a voice and a platform to be heard,' he urged.
The One Million Smiles Programme is a five-year strategic initiative launched in 2022, focusing on promoting inclusive development and the overall well-being of children in northern Ghana. The programme aims to create resilient communities across 320 communities in six districts, empowering them to protect children from harmful practices such as child marriage and teenage pregnancy, while improving access to inclusive and quality education and healthcare.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Abdul Rahman Aziz, the District Chief Executive for Mamprugu-Moagduri, commended AfriKids Ghana for its efforts in championing child rights, particularly in a district noted for child rights abuse cases. He reaffirmed the Assembly's commitment to supporting AfriKids Ghana's interventions to ensure that children in the district are safe, educated, and healthy, calling for sustained collaboration among all stakeholders.
Mr. Julius Ofori, the Mamprugu-Moagduri District Director of the Ghana Education Service, praised AfriKids Ghana and its partners for the intervention, noting that the programme had improved access to education among children in the area. Naa Solomon Naaza Nagberana Namaltenga, Chief of Yikpabongu, highlighted the project's impact, stating that it had empowered the communities to modify certain cultural practices and contributed to keeping many children, especially girls, in schools.