The facilities that provide recreation and sporting activities for children and young people in the Ashaiman environs are limited. In the vicinity of the project place there are no recreational facilities at all. Using sports (football) as a recreation opportunity for marginalised youth is a programme run by the project partner, Salesians of Don Bosco. The construction of the football field provided the necessary facility for sustaining the programme. The activities in regards to the football grounds consisted of the leveling and construction of water channels, the installation of an irrigation system, horticultural (lawn) works and the construction of 40 m, 3-steps concrete seating (20 m each side).

Project Background: 

The phenomenon of street children is a growing concern in many developing countries, particularly in Africa. Ghana is no exception to the general trend of children fending for themselves in the streets. There are many ‘Youth at risk’ groups and some children in Ghana, particularly girls, are unlikely to ever even see the inside of a classroom, because there are not enough facilities to accommodate them and their parents cannot afford to send them to school. Many children work for extremely long hours doing heavy labour and are only paid a few cedis and pesewas for their troubles. About 95% of the street children are homeless. In Ghana, many street youth between the age of 12 (sometimes below) and 20 are without homes to turn to during the night. These young people have travelled from the countryside to the cities and urban towns, mainly to fend for themselves due to the lack of family support. The challenge is ensuring that this form of social exclusion is either eliminated or reduced to its barest minimum by society and concerned entities.

In this light, the project partners established a children’s village where especially street children get an opportunity to escape from their marginalisation. With the generous support from Mr. Sergeij Egorov and the UNESCO Foundation – Education for Children in Need, a football ground and a primary school were constructed.