Building capacity, promoting transparency, and empowering street children: SCEF’s journey with GFC

Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) has been selected as one of the organizations in the global cohort of the Global Fund for Children (GFC)’s Partnership to Educate All Kids (PEAK) initiative. SCEF is set to receive a grant of $30,000 US dollars for two years, with $15,000 US dollars disbursed in July 2022, and another $15,000 US dollars will be received in May 2023. The funds were allocated to the Strengthening SCEF’s Foundation to Accelerate Growth and Sustainability (S-FAGS) project.

S-FAGS is a project aimed at equipping SCEF’s human resources with the capacity-building and necessary tools to take action and explore opportunities that promote the wellness of the human resource, accelerate the growth of the organization, and reinforce its human rights-based and child rights approach. SCEF adopted the Safeguard, Advocate, Partner, and Empower (SAPE) Agenda 2030, which informed the S-FAGS project’s most essential recommendations and innovations. The $30,000 grant from the Global Fund for Children (GFC) has been instrumental in achieving the project’s objectives.

The project’s first key objective is to develop the organization and its members through team bonding, strategic teamwork meetings, skills sharing, and focus on areas that need strengthening in the course of organizational development. SCEF’s team embarked on a retreat to achieve this objective for year one.

Furthermore, the project would increase transparency and make SCEF eligible for many grant opportunities by converting its financial reports into the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) and Auditing.

Through GFC’s support, SCEF is supporting staff pensions in arrears and an emergency fund seed, providing a cushion for the organization in uncertain times. Logistics have been procured to increase the performance of SCEF’s team, including a wireless microphone for outreaches and advocacy, refurbished Lenovo laptops for staff, and CCTV cameras installed to safeguard beneficiaries.

Another keen objective of the project is a capacity-building exercise by GFC to develop SCEF’s organizational capacity index. The board, staff, and all volunteers/interns participated in a 3-day workshop that led to a SWOT analysis and developed a plan to develop SCEF further. GFC is supporting an additional $3,000 for implementing the organizational development plan while providing opportunities for human resources’ critical capacity development needs and the organization itself.

In conclusion, SCEF’s S-FAGS project, supported by GFC, has played a vital role in empowering street children, enhancing their capabilities, and giving them access to critical services such as education and healthcare.

The project is aligned with SCEF’s SAPE Agenda 2030, a five-year strategic plan aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable children. SCEF’s success demonstrates the effectiveness of community-based organizations and their ability to impact the lives of society’s most vulnerable individuals with the right support from international NGOs.

This partnership between SCEF and GFC is a groundbreaking opportunity that should serve as a model for future collaborations, emphasizing the importance of acting through local actors on a global scale, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.