Ghana
|
| Population |
22.9 m (2007) |
| Languages |
English (official), African languages |
| Religion |
Christian 68.8%, Muslim 15.9%, Indigenous beliefs 8.5% (2000) |
| Literacy |
57.9% (2000) |
| Life expectancy |
59.12 years (2007) |
| % below poverty line |
31.4% (1992) |
Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa that Europeans arrived to trade in first in gold, later in slaves. It was also the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power. Children encounter many problems in Ghana including malnutrition, child labour and child trafficking. Malaria, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malnutrition and measles remain the five leading killer diseases of children. Ghana is also a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and domestic and commercial labour. Ghanaian children are trafficked internally to work in the fishing industry and cocoa plantations, and to urban areas in the south to work in exploitative conditions as domestic servants, street vendors and porters.
Compassion began work in Ghana in 2005. At present nearly 2,500 children are benefiting through Compassion.
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