History of SCEF

SCEF was founded in 2010 by Paul Semeh with support from three Finnish students. He was inspired by his life also on the streets and during his national service at the Street Academy. The Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) is a registered non-governmental organization in Ghana (CG123552014)

He started with a baseline study that revealed the following: 36% of 356 children in street situations interviewed had barriers in accessing their rights to basic education in Accra. These barriers fall within funding for required school equipment and tools like uniforms, school backpacks, exercise books, textbooks, and other forms of abuse. Parents/guardians of children in street situations wanted opportunities to be self-reliant.
Paul and other SCEF founding members from Finland

Our Approach


Advocacy

We provide a voice for the significance of education, basic health care, and gender equality among children in street situations and their families using the Communication for Development (C4D) approach. We also provide them with possibilities to voice their stories and opinions to the general public through media opportunities, street protests, and lobbying for favourable policy.

Educational Support

We provide material and psychological support for street connected children on their school paths and offer them a conductive space for academic studies and activities. 

Creative Art Learning and Skill Training:

Through our Learning Hub we empower children in street situations and their families by giving them possibilities in creative art learning and skill training. We also provide financial guidance and small-scale microfinance to support the families of street connected children to start their own small-scale enterprises. 


Our Methodology

The 3 Rs represent the methodology of SCEF – rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of street- connected children.  This methodology focuses on the welfare of children as well as their families. We rescue children in street situations, rehabilitate and reintegrate them successfully into James Town schools with a heavy focus on keeping them in school. With our 3 Rs, we hope to see every child in James Town and Accra Central complete primary and secondary education successfully. We believe this will alleviate poverty in James Town and its environs.

Rescue

Through a social-work based selection process, we identify and recruit children in street situations and seek to understand their aspirations. Seeking consent from these children during rescue is key. During this stage we establish a rapport with identified children on the streets, and schools. We also come in contact with some of the children through referrals.  Most children we identify in schools and through referrals are children who are likely to join their peers on the streets if not rescued at the early. After the selection process, a profile of each child is made. Furthermore, we identify the key challenges they face in their education.

Rehabilitate

Children go through counseling sessions at our center after rescue. Moreover, children who are rescued directly from the streets go through three months of learning sessions using our SCEF curriculum. They are taught basic numeracy, literacy, creative arts, life skills, classroom rules, and other regulations to prepare them for school. Through this education, the children acquire the knowledge that will help them when enrolling in formal schools.

Reintegrate

While the rehabilitation process is on-going we also find the families of these street connected children. We seek their consent and work with them to improve upon the lives of their children. We make provisions for these children to join their peers in the government schools and provide the support and supplies necessary for these children to attend school. It is mandatory for all our scholarship recipients to have at least basic education after which each child can decide to further their education or have skill training.


Our Exit Policy


As part of SCEF policy, there is a five-year maximum period to be a scholarship recipient, during which families or guardians are empowered to take full responsibility of their wards after five years. Through counseling and empowerment programs we encourage the families of street connected children under our program to have a sustainable family through trading and practicing a vocation like hairdressing, dress making, catering services or soap making.   We make sure all families or guardians of the exited children are capable of taking care of their children.