Kumasi Street Children Project

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Kumasi, Ghana
In partnership with Street Child Africa

Kumasi Street Children Project is an initiative of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi to address the problems of young vulnerable women and children who are displaced and homeless in Kumasi city. The Project is managed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. It was officially launched in June 2005 by Most Rev. Peter Kwasi SARPONG

Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana. Almost all street children on the street of Kumasi come from the Northern Region. The Northern Regions of Ghana are very poor and the majority of children who live there never see inside a class room. These children are driven to do something about their situation and often end up trafficked on the streets of Kumasi under the belief that they will be able to earn money easily in the city and then return with their earnings to either go back to school or to get married.
The reality on the streets of Kumasi is quite different: children work for long hours just to make ends meet; they have difficulty finding shelter and food if they do not work. The majorities of children who come to the streets find work as load carriers (Kayayei).

There are thousands of children on the streets of Kumasi. Street Child Africa has partners in Accra, who counted 26,000 street children on Accra’s streets in 2007. An alarming number of these children are not able to earn enough money to survive and turn to drug peddling and even child prostitution.

The Kumasi project offers shoe shine boys a street education programme on various topics and guidance to bring them back to (primary/ JSS) school or to teach them vocational skills within apprenticeship programmes. For the Kayayos (Porters) The Kumasi Project provide education programmes on the street that last only short periods, so as not to interfere with their work , as well as education on basic shop skills, self-defence and HIV/AIDS.

Within Racecourse, it is estimated that there are over 2000 women and their children who roam the market area with no prospect for education or any decent livelihood, many resort to prostitution. The project offers them counselling services in the drop-in centre, a street education on topics like rape, self defence, HIV/aids, literacy.

The crèche that is now at Racecourse (central area Kumasi) is an initiative to help the children of the prostitutes. In the crèche/ day care the children will be part of an early intervention education programme, and hopefully may end up in regular primary school at a later stage. At the crèche (Day care centre) the children are cared for and given educational support when their mothers are out in the market. Kumasi will give them better nutrition and an education, teaching them English language, mathematics, hygiene, storytelling, songs, and poems that will enable enrol in proper primary school.

Street Child Africa

Street Child Africa is the leading UK charity devoted to helping street children across Africa. They work in partnership with African organisations who adopt a street-based approach to seek out and befriend street children, offering them guidance from trustworthy adults, education, medical care, baby care, skills training, vocational sponsorship, a place in the community, and a chance to choose a different path in life.

• Fundraise and raise awareness in support of small African-run agencies working with and for street children across Africa.
• Generate fresh approaches to working with and for street children across Africa.
• Provide a forum for, and share information with, agencies working with and for street children across Africa.
• Facilitate advocacy for any street child and/or street child agency in Africa who needs and requests it.
• Encourage any volunteers in the UK who wish to give up some of their skills and time for the benefit of street children across Africa.