The Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, the Parish Priest of Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra, has said that there were too many street children in Ghana as a result of broken homes.
The Officiating Priest wondered why there were so many broken homes in the country, with the children bearing the brunt, adding that some had become hardened criminals due to lack of love.
The problem can also be partially blamed on irresponsible parenting, which they attributed to poverty, lack of quality time with the children, among other reasons, he explained.
These concerns were raised during a “Night of Christmas Nine Lessons and Carol Service,” organised by Krif Media, a subsidiary of Krif Ghana Limited, dealers in money counting machines, office equipment and stationery in Accra.
The occasion was also used to raise funds to support the Princess Marie Louise Children Hospital in Accra.
Father Campbell, who also runs a Children’s Home, said a number of the children he was handling were stubborn and recalcitrant because of peer pressure. Some also use drugs for the fact that the elders failed to do proper monitoring.
Father Campbell rebuked parents who barely spent time with their wards but left them in the hands of drivers and nannies to stop the practice.
They should from the Christmas festivities start spending quality time with their children, monitor them, so that they did not fall prey to people who would make them social deviants.
“Work, funerals, parties, phones conversations and sometimes church activities took a considerable amount of parents’ time. So what time do you spend with your children,” he queried.
He said, “Let this Christmas be a family one, spend time with the family, stay at home, you don’t know the problems the children go through, find out and help them,” he advised.
The Priest emphasised that they should ensure the family was happy and Ghana would also be happy, adding that it was not about the money, best phone or I-Pad given to them by their parents but love and quality time spent together.
He urged parents to be patient with their children, spend more time with them, love and inculcate in them Godly principles.
He called on all Ghanaians to help take these children off the streets and show them love especially, during the Christmas season.
The gathering was treated to good tunes from Pastor and Pastor Mrs Tachie-Menson, the Tema Youth Choir, Accra Symphony Orchestra and Alfred Patrick Addaquay among others.
It brought together people from various fields of work including the banks, business sector, the Ambassador of Columbia, High Commissioner of Zambia, among other divide.
