Operation Sirigu

Operation Sirigu centres around the use of interpersonal communication to raise awareness about the prevalence of infanticide in the region and to challenge the beliefs that perpetuate the practice. This communication work takes place in conjunction with the Mother of Mercy Babies' Home at Sirigu, which was established in 1984 by 2 Medical Missionary Sisters as a haven for babies rescued from maltreatment and inevitable infanticide. Organisers claim that, while the Babies' Home improves the opportunities for these babies, there is a further need to work towards dispelling the underlying cause of the situation that results in children suffering from abuse and abandonment.

As a first step in the project, a locally based Community Development Worker (CDW) was recruited to foster improved relationships between the Babies' Home and the villagers. The goal is to reach out to parents and children involved in practices that dehumanise, such as child killing and neglect, opening up the project to other children beyond the Babies' Home. The CDW's key role is in providing informal education sessions, which (in conjunction with health talks given by nurses during the weekly outreach visits) aim to dispel myths and infiltrate traditional views with the reality of child rights issues. These sessions are centred around participatory discussion groups through which the CDW assesses local beliefs surrounding child killings and any potential animosity towards the Babies' Home. The focus is on the need to work together to improve community services and invest in rather than disadvantage the next generation of children.

Building on the project's beginnings, much of the project continues to focus on the root causes of the phenomenon by involving community members (both men and women) in efforts to prevent harmful practises and care for children in need. For example, AfriKids facilitates awareness talks across the district which are led by local nurses, women's groups who perform songs about the phenomenon and the concoction men themselves, who were once responsible for killing children but whom, through their work with AfriKids, are now at the forefront of the awareness campaign. In addition, AfriKids established the Sirigu Child Rights Centre to act as a refuge for vulnerable children, where they can be cared for while their family are empowered to cater for them, or they are given a home at a specialist facility. The centre also offers communal space for the women's groups and community committees with which the project works.

Some Operation Sirigu activities focus on empowering and improving the health of women. For instance, a clinic has been set up in an effort to reduce the incidence of maternal death from childbirth through the provision of necessary medicines and careful monitoring of pregnancy. Organisers publicise the clinic and its services, as well as raise awareness about women's health issues, through posters, drama presentations, and radio discussions within the surrounding area. Through micro-finance and healthcare it empowers women to better care for their children and increase their say in decisions regarding them.

Children, Health, Maternal Health, Rights.

Sirigu is situated just north of Bolgatanga in the Upper Eastern Region of Ghana, bordering Burkina Faso to the North and Togo to the East. Within the Kassena Nankana District of the region there is a tradition of killing babies considered to be "spiritually possessed", often because the mother dies in childbirth, or the baby is born with a physical deformity. This "spirit child" phenomenon is responsible for the deaths of an estimated 4% of children born in the region.