A grassroots education intervention in parts of the Upper West Region has successfully returned dozens of out-of-school children—many from vulnerable backgrounds—back into formal education, highlighting the impact of community-driven approaches to school retention.
Implemented by Community Development Alliance (CDA Ghana) in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES), the initiative has facilitated the re-enrolment of 93 children, comprising 55 boys and 38 girls, from ten communities in the Sissala West District and the Wa Municipality.
The beneficiaries were drawn from Dasima, Kusali, Buoti, Nyimeti and Kandia in the Sissala West District, as well as Chansa and Charia in the Wa Municipality, under a project dubbed the Bridging Fund: Girls Rights and Empowerment Project (G-REP).
Speaking at a community durbar in Nyimeti, Programmes Manager of CDA Ghana, Mr Suleman Bipuah, said the project initially identified and registered 217 out-of-school children across the target communities. Through sustained engagement with families and community leaders, 93 of them were successfully transitioned back into basic schools.
Mr Bipuah explained that the intervention went beyond enrolment, focusing on addressing the underlying social and economic barriers to education. Activities included community dialogues, counselling sessions, child rights advocacy and engagements with chiefs, teachers and Fulbe settlements to better understand challenges such as poverty, child marriage and migration.
As part of efforts to sustain school attendance, CDA Ghana provided uniforms, books and other learning materials to all re-enrolled pupils, easing the financial burden on families and reducing the risk of children dropping out again.
The project also invested in broader community sensitisation, with over 600 community leaders and education stakeholders trained on child protection issues using UNICEF toolkits. Additionally, 59 young people and adults were trained as community change agents to campaign against child marriage, abuse and other practices that hinder children’s education.
Girl Child Coordinator at the Sissala West Education Service, Madam Fati Banawole, urged parents to take greater responsibility for their children’s welfare and education, stressing that keeping girls in school was one of the most effective ways to protect them from early marriage and exploitative labour.
She encouraged parents to provide basic necessities and emotional support to ensure regular school attendance, warning that neglecting children’s education often exposed them to long-term social and health challenges.
The Girls Rights and Empowerment Project, implemented between October 2025 and January 2026, sought to reduce barriers to education for vulnerable children—particularly girls and minority groups such as Fulbe communities—by promoting safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments.
Project partners say the success of the intervention underscores the importance of collaboration between civil society, education authorities and local communities in tackling school dropout and advancing girls’ education in underserved areas.
