Children as ’invisible’ contributors to household income in Ghana

Abstract

Poverty reduction in Ghana has attracted varied approaches. Over the recent past decade, the government implemented a number of programmes tailored to reduce income poverty. These include the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), School Feeding Programme, National Health Insurance Scheme and Capitation Fund. Recent data on poverty indicate that Ghana has achieved the Millennium Development Goal I (MDG 1). Beyond these poverty reduction programmes are children who contribute immeasurably to household income which could lead to household poverty reduction, yet are largely unnoticed and least focused. The paper used both survey and qualitative data from a child-mobility research in four different settlement types in the Central and Brong Ahafo Regions to assess the contributions of children to household income. The findings revealed that a week preceding the survey, 55% of the children assisted parents/guardians on the farm, about 25% sold at the market (largely by hawking) and less than 3% took care of herds in the fields on behalf of their parents. Some ofthe children who sold earned between GH$ 7 and GHQ15 per day to support household income. In addition, the children undertook varied household activities including caring for younger siblings to enable parents to have adequate time to engage in socio-economic activities. Children's involvement in the socio-economic space needs to be further explored as a means of formally evaluating and reconceptualising their contributions to household income and possibly poverty reduction. By so doing these 'invisible' contributors can be properly recognised and acknowledged. Consequently, this will activate the necessary offices, structures and systems to regulate their activities and contributions legitimately..