Street Girls Aid
Street Girls Aid (S. Aid) was established in February 1994 as an independent Ghanaian NGO, and is run entirely by Ghanaian staff. It is a non-religious, non-political organization working with street connected children and young persons with a focus on girls. S. Aid’s programmes are designed to assist the children and young persons’ reintegration into their families, the school system, employment and the larger society.
Where We Work
S. Aid is based in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The core of our work is on the streets of Accra and other cities of the country. Furthermore, the girls and youth we work with come from all over the country sometimes from neighboring countries.
The Girls Aid started with a mission that has been most resolute – all street connected girls will be empowered to make a living outside the streets.
Our mission is premised on no child must be left behind and that all children and young women no matter where they live must have a high quality of life and an opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and thus contribute to the society.
S. Aid envisions a society where all children and young women in street situations have a high quality of life and an opportunity to achieve their fullest potential and contribute to the society.
Our History
Extract from the book Stories From The streets
“The Initiatives for street children in Ghana began with an influential research project conducted through the University of Ghana led by the late Professor Nana Araba Apt and funded by Save the Children UK. The initiatives that developed immediately following the research included a program called Response and the Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS). Between the two organisations it was identified that street girls had unique and specific needs and an organization was thus started to address those unique needs”.
Street Girls Aid was thus born in 1994 and began work in an unfinished building next to a maternity and child centre close to one of the biggest slums in Accra. S.Aid’s work began with the care for girls in trouble and protecting pregnant streets girls though a drop in centre, refuge for girls and a Vocational skills training centre.
Over the years with support from donors S.Aid added to its programs Early Childhood Care centres. We continue to operate these centres in locations where street mothers work.
Currently, under the direction of the Director, Mrs. Vida Asomaning Amoako and with the support and collaboration from a dedicated S. Aid staff, Board members, donors and friends, S. Aid now provides an extensive and comprehensive services to an average of 1,500 children per year.
Street Children in Ghana
According to the first-ever census on street children carried out in the Greater Accra Region by the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) and Ricerca e Cooperazione (RC), a ltalian NGO, in collaboration with two local NGOs: Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS) and Street Girls Aid in 2012 about 61,492 (sixty-one thousand four hundred and ninety-two) children are on the streets of Accra struggling to make ends meet.
The result obtained showed that 43% of the total population were males and 57% were females. In Ghana, a large number of street children can be found in Central Accra, the Kwame Nkrumah circle, Kumasi, Tamale, and other major centres. The largest number of street children came from the Northern Region of Ghana forming 28.53% of the children found in the streets of Accra. The smallest number of children found in the streets of Accra were from the Brong Ahafo Region contributing 2.38% to the total population of street children in Accra. Street connected children generally work as street vendors, shining shoes, helping people with disabilities, or working in local restaurants, head porters, track pushers and also includes less visible activities such as sex work and theft. violence is a daily reality for most children in Ghana and street connected children experience a tremendous amount of violence . Accra’s street connected children move regularly for survival (where they will find jobs and a sleeping place).