Dr. Ernestina Korleki Tetteh has over a decade of experience advancing social justice and gender equity through rigorous qualitative research and advocacy. Her scholarship examines the intersections of poverty, inequality, and gender, with a focus on how these dynamics shape the lives of children and young people from diverse backgrounds. She specializes in participatory and culturally grounded methodologies—including photo voice and media content analysis—to amplify the voices of marginalized groups. From 2022 and 2024, she led multi-sectoral projects with a multi-donor Civil Society Organization, overseeing interventions in education, health, governance, and gender-based violence. Committed to bridging research and policy, she founded and convenes of the Coalition of Street-Connected Children in Ghana building in years of research with street children. The coalition has collaborated with the Ministry of Gender, children and social protection through the Department of Social Welfare to shape national policy frameworks and implementation strategies targeting children in street situations.
Research: Dr. Tetteh's research focuses on diverse groups of children and adolescents affected by both internal and international migration. Since 2018, she has been working on the mental health experiences of street children and adolescents, most of whom are migrants.
Dr. Tetteh believes that the multi-level care systems within which children grow up play a significant role in their wellbeing. Therefore, inspired by the ecological systems theory, her current research focuses on the interaction between the macro structures of care and the immediate settings within with children and adolescents find themselves and how these interactions impact on their wellbeing. Her interest in street children and adolescents spans their general well-being and the micro, meso and macro level structures that are responsible for providing care for them.
Selected Projects:
Title: Promoting sustainable young livelihoods: unpacking possibilities for empowerment with young migrants in Ghana
Duration: 21 months
Objective: The project aims to generate much-needed knowledge about the livelihoods of young people in Ghana and use this knowledge to, 1) advance how we think about and put into practice ideas about empowerment in youth-centred initiatives, and 2) inform development of sustainable approaches that enhance positive youth futures.
Title: Street children and youth in Ghana and the Sustainable Development Goals
Duration: 12 months
Objective: The project sought to examine existing institutions and programmes for street children and how these are positioned to meet the sustainable development goals. Specifically, it described and characterise existing social services and mental health interventions for street children in Ghana. Out of the project has emerged an alliance of NGOs that are working to demand access to basic services and care for street children.
Title: Mapping the experiences of international independent child and young migrants in Ghana
Duration: 12 months
Objective: The study used a qualitative approach to engage 50 independent international child migrants from ages 10 to 19 who have been in Ghana for a minimum of 6 months at the time of the study. Focus group discussions, in-depth interview and observations were used to explore the migration process and lived experiences of these children from four West African Countries – Nigeria, Togo, Niger and Mali.
Title: The health experiences of migrant children in Ghana - identifying priorities for community-based health promotion
Duration: 12 months
Objective: Drawing on Community-Based Participatory Research methods, the study sought to identify the health needs and priorities of (internal/international) young migrants (aged 10-18 years) in Ghana; Inform the development of culturally-relevant and impactful forms of health promotion with young migrants; and support capacity-building and establish longer-term UK/Ghana partnerships through the development of a cross-country research network of child-centred researchers, academics, policy-makers, and NGOs.
Selected Publications
Spencer, G., Dankyi, E., Ofori, C. A. E., Agyekum, M. W., Nyarko, S., Asante, D., Kwankye, S. O., & Thompson, J. (2025). Young migrants on the move: Ethics and methods of conducting qualitative research ‘in the moment’. Qualitative Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941251341987
Sanuade, O., Okoibhole, L., Dankyi, E., Strachan, D., Baatiema, L., Kushitor, S., Awuah, R., Kushitor, M., Amon, S., Kretchy, I., Arhinful, D., Fottrell, E., & Vaughan, M. (2025). Three lessons on diabetes for global health professionals, researchers, and policy-makers from the people of Ga Mashie. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1534450. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1534450
Spencer, G., Thompson, J., Froehlich, F., Asafo, D., Doku, M. T., Asiamah, G., Mornuu, J., Kassim, A., Kwankye, S. O. and Dankyi, E. (2023) 'Young people’s involvement in migration research – opportunities for (re)shaping research priorities and practices', Journal of the British Academy, 11(s3). Available at: https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/011s3.xx
Dankyi, E., van Blerk, L., Hunter, J., & McFadden, A. (2022). Considering an agency–vulnerability nexus in the lives of street children and youth. Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal, 7(1–3), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802014.2022.205910
Spencer, G., Dankyi, E., Thompson, J., Acton, F., & Kwankye, S. O. (2022). The health experiences of young internal migrants in Ghana - identifying priorities for sustainable health promotion. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15229. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215229
Dankyi, E., & Huang, K.-Y. (2021). Street children in Ghana’s golden triangle cities: Mental health needs and associated risks. Child Psychiatry & Human Development.
Dankyi, E. (2021). Children living on the street: Current efforts in policy research and practices in Ghana. In F. M. Ssewamala, M. McKay, & O. Sensoy Bahar (Eds.), Child behavioral health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer Publishing.
Dako-Gyeke, M., Kodom, R., Dankyi, E., & Sulemana, A. (2020). Drivers of independent migration among adolescents from selected West African countries. Children and Youth Services Review, 117.
Oti-Boadi, M., Dankyi, E., & Kwakye-Nuako, C. (2020). Stigma and forgiveness in Ghanaian mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04366-x
Huang, K., Bornheimer, L., Dankyi, E., & de-Graft Aikins, A. (2018). Parental wellbeing, parenting, and child development in Ghanaian families with young children. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0799-3
Mazzucato, V., Dankyi, E., & Poeze, M. (2017). Mapping transnational networks of care from a multi-actor and multi-sited perspective. In Children of migrants, intergenerational relations, and the transition to adulthood: Exploring methodological issues and innovations. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1141-6_14
Alidu, S., Dankyi, E., & Tsiboe-Darko, A. (2016). Ageing policies in Ghana: A review of the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty and the National Health Insurance Scheme. Ghana Studies, 19, 154–172.
Poeze, M., & Dankyi, E. (2016). Navigating transnational care relationships: Migrant parents and their children’s caregivers in the origin country. Global Networks. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/glob.12135/epdf
Dankyi, E., Mazzucato, V., & Manuh, T. (2015). Reciprocity in global social protection: Providing care for migrants’ children. Oxford Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2015.1124078
Poeze, M., & Dankyi, E. (2013). Eén familie, twee landen, twee onderzoeksters: Ervaringen met een simultaneous matched sample methodology. Kwalon, 18(3), 41–46.
Dankyi, E. (2011). Growing up in a transnational household: A study of children of international migrants in Accra, Ghana. Ghana Studies, 14.
Awumbila, M., Alhassan, O., Badasu, D., Antwi Boasiako, T., & Dankyi, E. (2011). Socio-cultural dimensions of migration in Ghana. Technical paper No. 3. Woeli Publishing Service.
Professional and Community Service
- Convener, NGOs working with street children in Ghana
- Member, National Advisory Committee on Ageing
Memberships:
- Member of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) [since 2018]