SCEF advocates expedite action on 5-yr strategic plan for street-connected children
The Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF), a non-governmental organisation, is advocating an expedite action in the implementation of Ghana’s five-year strategic plan for street-connected children and young persons.
The 5-year Strategic Plan is to among other things restore hope, dignity, and opportunity to neglected and marginalised children.
This came to light at a national stakeholder symposium held in Accra on Friday.
The event which was on the theme, “Accelerating the implementation of Ghana’s 5-year Strategic Plan for Street-Connected Children: From policy to Action” marked the 15th anniversary of the foundation.
The Acting Director, Department of Social Welfare, Dr Prince Boamah Abrah, in a speech said that the implementation of the strategic plan required an inter-agency coordination, resource mobilisation, real time data, and consistent monitoring and evaluation.
Also, he said the theme of the celebration was not just a call to duty but a challenge to move beyond rhetoric into a coordinated implementation.
He, therefore, called for a stronger collaboration between relevant stakeholders in ensuring the implementation of the strategic plan.
“The task ahead of us is complex. We must confront the root cause of street-connected children, which are poverty, abuse, family breakdown, lack of access to services, and ensure that interventions are holistic child-centred, and community-driven,” she added.
Dr Abrah reaffirmed the Department of Social Welfare’s support to the strategic plan as it aligned with its national child protection agenda, and reinforced the department’s shared belief that every child regardless of their background, deserved safety, healthcare, and a supportive environment to thrive.
Also, he indicated that the Department of Social Welfare had formed a Technical Working Group to implement the strategic plan and was ready to partner with SCEF to ensure its implementation.
The Executive Director of SCEF, Mr Paul Semeh, an ex-street child, highlighted the foundation’s achievement over the past years noting that SCEF had reached over 1.7 million children and parents, working in 100 schools to provide safe learning environments through libraries and safeguarding methods.
Despite the significant progress, he said there was still a growing number of street children in the country, attributing it to a lack of opportunities and support systems.
To bridge the gap, he said that there was the need for child-sensitive communities, counselling sessions, and schools with supporting facilities to prevent children from falling through the cracks.
Mr Semeh said the event did not only reflect the foundation’s collective commitment to vulnerable children in the country but also marked a defining moment in its 15-year journey of transformation.
The strategy, he said, provided a robust roadmap for data-driven, coordinated, and sustainable interventions that went beyond charity — to rights-based empowerment and structural reform, urging stakeholders to join forces to get the project implemented.
BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA
