Swift Aid
Kayayei (head porters) in the local markets
Swift Aid took the lead in developing a Network against Child Kayayei (NACK)
“Did you know that Ghanian children as young as 6 years old are working as kayayei in Accra’s local markets?”
Mostly from the poverty-stricken northern region, girls and young women move to Accra to make money for their families, but they find themselves working in deplorable conditions as kayayei (head porters) in the local markets. Unless these children can be encouraged, educated and helped to return to their homes, many remain homeless and others fall into prostitution. The kayayei issue is recognized as a growing phenomenon putting children, especially girls, at risk in Ghana.
As a Canada Fund recipient in both 2009-10 and 2010-11, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Swift Aid manages a series of activities in an effort to reduce the number of children being employed as kayayei.
Through a vivid educational campaign in 2010, Swift Aid highlighted the rights of the child and the illegal use of kayayei to market vendors. Swift Aid also worked directly with young women to educate them about their right to education and their basic human rights. The NGO used games, dances and educational activities to bring the girls and young women together to teach them about their rights.
The organization is cognizant that a unified approach that also addresses the root causes of the kayayei phenomenon is necessary. Over the course of the project, Swift Aid took the lead in developing a Network against Child Kayayei (NACK) that coordinates and strengthens the efforts of government, non-government and private institutions with a mandate to protect the rights of children. With Swift Aid’s leadership, NACK held its first workshop to identify and share best practices and to begin a monitoring process for the policies in place to prevent the growing number of kayayei children in Accra.
