The Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) International is a children’s rights Charity protecting and supporting street children in the James Town and Central neighbourhoods of Accra in Ghana. Although the organization operates on a very local scale, key supporters from other countries like Germany are working closely with SCEF to help bring visibility to the cause, hence the “international” part.

The mission of SCEF is to guarantee a real future for underprivileged and economically fragilized children, a future where they can be independent and reach their fullest potential. To achieve this, the organization does many things.

First, social workers are on the ground to identify and rescue children in street situations or complicated family circumstances, and to assess their needs and aspirations. Many children have often dropped out of school to work in the streets, an unacceptable violation of basic children’s rights in the opinion of Paul, director of SCEF. The Charity runs a Learning Hub where it offers mentorship programs, skill trainings and a basic education curriculum (numeracy, litteracy, etc.) to prepare rescued children to enroll back into the governmental school system.  

Furthermore, SCEF understands that improving the lives of the children requires taking care of their parents, too. The Charity gets in contact with struggling families and, when needed, gives financial support by funding scholarships and small loan schemes. SCEF also provides counselling to the kids and regularly checks to see how they are doing, for example by visiting their homes and encouraging parents or guardians to sustain a loving and stable family environment.

Finallly, SCEF works to give a voice to the marginalized communities of Ghana, and advocates for meaningful change in the country on issues such as sexual health, gender equality, hygiene standards and local environmental impact. To the Charity, education is essential to empowering a community, but so is rights advocacy.