In Search of Survival? Exploring the Experiences of Children in Child-Adult Partnerships for Begging in Tamale, Ghana

This paper explores the phenomenon of begging in Tamale, Ghana with a focus on child-adult partnership for street begging. It highlights the lives and experiences of children involved in the activity occasioned by certain defined set of livelihood arrangements deeply rooted in and regulated by social norms and values. The phenomenon is largely characterized by the disabled (usually blind men and women) being guided by non-disabled guides (children) who are either relatives or business partners with each arrangements presenting differ-ent forms of commitments, obligations and benefits. The paper discusses the intricate relationships of child vulnerability and agency relative to the relation-ships between the children and their adult disabled partners and/or families within the context of generational interdependence. It problematizes the over romanticization of the ‘more empowered child’ in contemporary childhood studies and argues for a more nuanced analysis of the lives and experiences of children that allows for the negotiation of their rights. The paper is structured into five chapters. The Introductory chapter (chapter one) provides a general overview of the study. It presents the back-ground of the study including the research problem, research objectives and questions as well as the relevance of the study. Chapter two presents the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of the research. Chapter three presents the methodology that is employed for the generation of information and data for the study. Chapter four discusses the empirical data relative to the secondary data and the theoretical and conceptual framework discussed in chapter one and two. Chapter five offers concluding remarks and reflections on the issues being discussed.