Empowering Persons in Street-Connected Situations

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We empower (economically and financially) people in street-connected situations (parents/guardians and young adults) to get them and most especially their children off the streets. By providing Capacity building, employment opportunities, and entrepreneurial support for deserving people in street-connected situations, we hope to help address some of the challenges in the process of getting kids and young people off the streets of Accra

The problem

It is estimated that over 600,000 children are working and sleeping in the streets of many urban centers in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. The idea of children on the streets violates the Children’s Act which states that under no circumstance should a person below the age of fifteen be allowed to work or fend for him or herself. Children in street situations are caused by poverty which is stemming from a culture of poverty and a lack of decent work opportunities to escape poverty.

Our approach

Identify

We work with key stakeholders to identify street-connected parents/guardians and young adults who can benefit from our programs

Engage

We engage and interact with selected beneficiaries to establish their interests, experiences, qualifications, and commitment levels. The goal is to select beneficiaries with high commitment and interest in benefiting from our programs

Empower

We develop and deliver tailor-made capacity building and training for the selected beneficiaries. We train and support all beneficiaries to become economically and financially sustainable.

Sustain

We ensure that all empowered beneficiaries can continue benefiting from their empowerment, becoming self-reliant and sustainable after they transition from our programs

Transition

We transition beneficiaries on from our programs and support them to become self-reliant and self-sustaining without any significant involvement from the center so we can focus on new sets of beneficiaries.

GEEP

GEEP seeks to empower the parents/guardians of SCEF beneficiaries and graduated beneficiaries to be economically and financially sustainable to be able to cater for themselves and their families. This is a very relevant program as it tackles, head-on, some of the key contributing factors to why children end up on the street and why their parents and families result to leaving them on the streets – economic and financial stability.
The program seeks to provide capacity building and support in employability and entrepreneurship

Goal

Employability

The goal is to provide 300 beneficiaries with hands-on training and capacity building (including both soft and hard skills) and employment opportunities within the Accra Metropolitan Area

Entrepreneurship

The goal is to support 30 street-connected grassroots enterprises – within the Accra Metropolitan Area -through capacity building, business coaching, support services and fund sourcing

Key Deliverables

• Build the capacity of 300 beneficiaries in retailing, shop management, bookkeeping, financial literacy, pastry making, soap making, sewing, secretarial services among others (50 beneficiaries per 6 months semester)
• Generate about 200 employment opportunities for the beneficiaries to get matched to. These will include opportunities in existing CGE enterprises such as the Yehowa Nyonmo Da Bakery, Omanye Coffee shop as well as external employment opportunities.
• Have, at least 150 beneficiaries still actively employed beyond the 36 months program lifespan
• Have 15 enterprises sustaining themselves and their 50 employees beyond the program.

• Evaluate and select up to 30 grassroots business ideas, including existing enterprises. (10 per every 12 months)
• Deliver entrepreneurial and business capacity-building workshops to beneficiaries (Quarterly) – Provide business coaching, planning and support services to each beneficiary (at least one physical meeting per quarter but daily non-physical support access to coaches and supporters)
• Source funding and support beneficiaries in launching 20 grassroots enterprises from potential Godparents and other SME funding sources (5-7 enterprises per every 12 months)