Foster Sustainable Development & Peace Through Sport- Paul Semeh
Paul Semeh, Executive Director of the Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF), represented civil society in a two-day training on the UN Toolkit on Sport, Development, and Peace at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Mr. Semeh in a speech acknowledged that, the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, adopted a ground-breaking resolution recognizing the power of sport as an enabler of sustainable development. This resolution he said, highlighted the importance of mainstreaming sport in our efforts to achieve development objectives.
The Executive Director attested that, SCEF has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of sport and play-based learning in the lives of street-connected children. “We realized very early on that simply taking children from the streets and placing them directly into schools did not work. They faced significant challenges with life skills, making it difficult for them to adapt to formal education and independent living”. He said.
Mr. Semeh explained further that, to address this worrying phenomenon, SCEF developed a sport and play-based curriculum that imparts essential life skills to street-connected children, preparing them for formal education and equipping them for independent lives. We firmly believe that sport for development and play-based learning should be cross-cutting themes in all our programs.
” We have observed remarkable outcomes using sport for development and play-based learning. Our most challenging cases, those facing difficulties with attendance, focus, attention in class, and cooperation, have shown great improvement through sport-based rehabilitation and the inculcation of life skills”.
SCEF has used play and sports to teach children useful skills for their future, providing them with meaningful activities during their free time. Adding that, sport and play have proven to be effective tools for teaching alternative ways to address behavioral problems. By engaging children in sports activities, we have been able to bond with them and establish stronger relationships as SCEF scholarship recipients.
Mr. Semeh urged the gathering to explore the UN Toolkit on Sport, Development, and Peace and recognize the immense potential sport holds for social change and progress. By working collaboratively, we can develop and implement comprehensive policies and programs that foster sustainable development and peace through the power of sport.
The UN toolkit was validated in Zimbabwe after series of preparatory workshops in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda in November 2022. Ghana is advantaged to be the first country to receive training on the United Nation’s toolkit for sport, development, and peace.
Gracing the two-day training on the UN toolkit are Minister of Youth and Sports – Hon. Mustapha Ussif, Country representative of, UNFPA- Dr Wilfred Ochan, Director of Sports at the University of Ghana -Dr Bella Bello Bitugu, the media among other dignitaries.
