On May 25, as the world observes International Missing Children's Day, one Ghanaian woman will be reflecting on a movement she helped build from the ground up.

Regina Asamoah, founder of Missing Children Ghana, did not just join the conversation — she started it.

Five years ago, the issue of missing children in Ghana was shrouded in silence. Families searched in desperation, often alone. There was no dedicated organization tracing missing children. No national day of remembrance. No coordinated effort to reunite families shattered by disappearance.

Today, thanks to Regina's relentless advocacy, that silence has been broken. Over 300 missing children and adults have been reunited with their families.

Ghana now observes International Missing Children's Day annually through her NGO, Missing Children Ghana, and a national framework for child protection is stronger than ever before.

But for Regina Asamoah- a multiple award-winning Ghanaian journalist, founder of Missing Children Ghana, and Communications and Influencing Specialist at Plan International Ghana,  the work is far from over.

A Journalist Who Turned Her Lens on the Unseen

Long before she became a leading voice in child protection, Regina Asamoah was a journalist who understood that the most important stories are often the hardest to tell.

Her career began in 2009, but it was her investigative documentaries that set her apart. She produced hard-hitting pieces like "Defiled and Traumatised" and "Delayed Justice," which exposed the suffering of abused girls and led to justice for several victims while securing scholarships for five survivors to return to school.

Her fearless reporting on gender issues earned her the prestigious Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) Best Female Journalist of the Year award in 2019.

But it was her growing awareness of a hidden crisis; children disappearing from Ghana's communities with little to no public outcry — that would define her legacy.

The Documentary That Changed Everything

In May 2021, Regina Asamoah produced the Missing Children Documentary, an investigative piece that began with whispers in Ashaiman, a community in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, about missing children.

What she uncovered was devastating: dozens of children languishing in orphanages for months or even years, separated from families who desperately sought them, trapped in a system with no clear mechanism for reunification.

The documentary exposed a painful truth: Ghana had no strong coordinated response to missing children.

The psychological toll on Regina Asamoah was immense.

"I couldn't sleep for days after my first visit to the orphanage and interacting with over 30 missing children who yearn to go home but are unable to provide enough details. I kept asking myself, how do I tell the stories of these children so that at least I can help one child reunite with his family? It really had a great psychological impact on me," she confessed.

But she did not retreat. On May 22, 2021, she premiered the very first Missing Children Documentary. The outcome was explosive, as families rushed to claim their missing children. On the other hand, many families also came with photos of their missing children who were not featured in the documentary.

They appealed to Regina Asamoah to help find their children, as she had been able to find the over 30 children featured in her documentary.

She could not resist the appeal from these obviously desperate families, so she kept investigating. Working hand in hand with the Department of Social Welfare and the Ghana Police Service, she kept telling the stories as she travelled the length and breadth of the country, visiting residential homes for children and interacting with children to help trace and reunite them with their families.

The documentary series caught the attention of policymakers, civil society, and ordinary Ghanaians who had never before considered the scale of the crisis. It went on to win the 2022 Popular TV Programme of the Year award at the first African Awards.

On September 21, 2023, Regina Asamoah was honored by the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) on World Peace Day for her hard work in promoting and sustaining peace and harmony as a journalist through her Missing Children Documentary Series.

Founding Missing Children Ghana: From Awareness to Action

Regina Asamoah understood that journalism alone could not solve the problem. Families needed more than awareness — they needed a lifeline.

On May 24, 2023, at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, with support from the Ghana Italian Women's Association and IPMC Ghana, she officially launched Missing Children Ghana, a non-profit organisation dedicated to tracing missing children, reuniting them with their families, and advocating for stronger child protection systems. The launch coincided with Ghana's inaugural observance of International Missing Children's Day on May 25 — a milestone Regina Asamoah had worked tirelessly to establish.

Since its inception, Missing Children Ghana has reunited over 300 missing children and adults with their families. The organization has become a beacon of hope for parents who once had nowhere to turn.

"For years, families of missing children suffered in silence," Regina Asamoah reflects. "They were told to wait, to pray, to hope. We built Missing Children Ghana so they would never have to wait alone again."

Beyond the urgent work of tracing and reuniting missing children, Missing Children Ghana runs complementary projects that address the root causes of vulnerability, including the Strengthening Families Beyond Reunification initiative, which provides financial support to boost the economic ventures of primary caregivers of reunited children, ensuring they can adequately care for the child and any siblings, alongside an ongoing educational project that creates widespread awareness about the missing children phenomenon.

A Lasting Impact: The Creation of the Missing Person Unit

Regina Asamoah did not stop at exposing the problem. Through her Missing Children Documentary series and strategic engagements with the leadership of the Ghana Police Service, she successfully advocated for a structural response to the crisis.

Her efforts contributed largely to the formation of a dedicated unit at the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service: the Missing Person Unit. This unit was established to coordinate and assist in the speedy search for missing children and adults across the country.

Today, Missing Children Ghana works closely with the Missing Person Unit to ensure swift action when a child or adult goes missing. The partnership has become a model of civil society–law enforcement collaboration in Ghana.

Successfully, in 2025, the Missing Person Unit launched the Amber Alert system - a rapid emergency notification system to mobilize the public when a child is believed to be abducted and in imminent danger. This advancement has significantly improved Ghana's ability to respond to missing children cases.

At the launch ceremony, due recognition was given to Regina Asamoah for her pioneering contribution and unwavering support to the missing children space in Ghana.

A Network of Partners Making the Work Possible

Regina Asamoah is quick to emphasize that the success of Missing Children Ghana is not hers alone. The organization thrives through the steadfast support of a growing network of partners and volunteers who share its vision of a Ghana where every child is safe.

Key partners include: the Ghana Police Service (especially the Missing Person Unit), the Department of Social Welfare, and Residential Homes for Children.

International and civil society partners, as well as corporate supporters, have played a vital role by providing critical resources and funding to sustain operations.

These include: the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Child Kenya, the Africa Missing Children Network, the Ghana Italian Women and Men Association, IPMC Ghana, Plan International Ghana, the Family Based Care Alliance, Catholic Relief Services, Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, Interplast Company Limited, Merge One Global Partners Limited, Antwi Jackson IT Solution, Boon Unisex Salon and Day Spa, Jada Rose Beauty Salon, Apau-Asante Outreach Savers International, Amazing Women of God and November Born Group.

Missing Children Ghana is also a proud member of the African Missing Children Network and the Global Missing Children Network, connecting Ghana to a worldwide movement dedicated to protecting children and reuniting families across borders.

"We could not do this work alone," Regina Asamoah acknowledges. "Every child reunited is a testament to what we can achieve when organizations, institutions, communities, and individuals come together with a shared purpose."

Taking the Fight Global

Regina Asamoah's pioneering work has earned international recognition. In 2023, she was nominated by the U.S. Embassy in Ghana to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Gender-Based Violence, traveling across six U.S. states to learn from leading organizations advancing children's and women's rights.

The following year, she was awarded the prestigious U.S. Department of State IVLP Impact Award Grant for her project, "Young Voices Matter: Empowering Boys and Girls in the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence." Selected from over 600 global applicants, the project equipped schoolchildren and teachers with skills to combat GBV and created documentaries that amplify the voices of children. The award was a testament to what she had long believed: protecting children requires both grassroots action and global solidarity.

Amplifying Impact Through Communications

Today, as Communications and Influencing Specialist at Plan International Ghana, Regina Asamoah brings her unique blend of journalistic rigor and advocacy expertise to shaping policies and programs that protect children on a national scale. Her communications background has been instrumental in shifting public discourse around child protection.

Through strategic campaigns, media engagements, and storytelling, she has ensured that missing children are no longer invisible in Ghana's national conversation.

"One missing child is one too many," she often says - a mantra that has become the rallying cry for her movement.

A Legacy of Light

As Ghana marks International Missing Children's Day on May 25, Regina Asamoah's impact is unmistakable. What was once a hidden crisis is now a national priority. Families who once suffered in silence now have an organization dedicated to bringing their children home. And a woman who began her career with a microphone now leads a movement that has changed countless lives.

Her principles, she says, are simple: transparency, gratitude, honesty, loyalty, humility, and love for humanity. These values have guided her from the newsroom to the non-profit sector, from local advocacy to international recognition.

On May 25, when the world pauses to remember missing children everywhere, Regina Asamoah will be doing what she has always done: working to bring them home.

About International Missing Children's Day

Observed annually on May 25, International Missing Children's Day is a global moment to honor missing children who have been found, remember those who are still missing, and celebrate the efforts of organizations and individuals working to protect children.

Thanks to the pioneering work of Regina Asamoah and Missing Children Ghana, Ghana now joins nations around the world in marking this important day.