The Director of S.Aid has this to say “From my experience majority of Ghanaians see mental health negatively, there is a stigma and this cuts across people with several backgrounds we need to break this if we want to take better care of ourselves that is why we us practitioners must understand the issues first.  This translates into ensuring that S.Aid staff made up of social workers and caregivers, administrative staff are trained and assisted to help street-connected children deal with distress and trauma.

 What intervention Strategies?

•  Build the capacity of staff on mental health issues
•  Empower street-connected children with psychosocial support
•  Provide services that will assess children
•  Provide care and support to identified children and their caregivers

Mental health is as important to children’s safety and wellbeing as their physical health.  S.Aid have started looking at mental health as a core component of care in its programming especially with adolescent girls and young mothers.

We recognize that negative life experiences such as abuse or exposure to abuse can adversely influence a child’s mental health, and that neglected mental health concerns have the potential to cause affect child’s self-efficacy.

There is now a greater awareness of the necessity of holistic mental health services in our programmes post Covid.

What does this mean for Street Girls Aid?  As part of our response S.Aid plan to provide more integrated mental health support to the many girls and young mothers in street situations.

1. Depend on the streets to live and / or work, either on their own, or with other children or family members; and
2. Have a strong connection to public spaces (e.g. streets, markets, parks, bus or train stations) and for whom the street plays a vital role in their everyday lives and identities. This wider group includes children who do not live or work on the street but regularly accompany other children or family members in the streets.

International Day for Street Children (IDSC) is organised by the Consortium for Street Children who are coordinating a global effort to improve the lives of children in street situations. The day is observed on the 12 th of April every year to “recognise the humanity, dignity and defiance of street children in the face of unimaginable hardships”.

This year the organisation joined a group of NPOs working  with Street Connected Children in Ghana to observe the day under the Theme” Access” for street children. Two main activities took place on the day. In the morning staffs and beneficiaries of Street Girls Aid stood by major roads in Accra with placards that read

Placards to sensitize the public on the plight of the children on the streets of Ghana.  We saw the interest of the public who in several cases stopped to ask questions. In the evening a webinar was held that focused on the theme for the day. The panel was made up of the Director of S.Aid ,an academician from the Centre for Social Policy Studies , University of Ghana ,representative from the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection representatives of NGOs and a former street child.

In Accra she lived with a boy who often abused her because she depended on him for her upkeep. She said she was unhappy and wanted to leave him but she was afraid. Ayele confided in the outreach worker about her desire to acquire a vocational skill.

At the S.Aid shelter Ayele was offered a place to sleep whiles she participated in the cookery training programme designed to include literacy , life skills and business management skills.

Ayele now has a job as a kitchen assistant with a fast food joint and no longer depend on a boyfriend for her upkeep. She and her two friends contribute to pay for their rented room. Ayele is 23 years old and dreams of owning a food joint in Accra one day.

She said’   I am free now and I can make friends and take care of myself.”

With the training and start up package received from S.Aid, Grace now prepares liquid soap which she sells to women in the market ,and she hopes to send her child to school when schools reopen .

She said “I now have hope”.

Before his admission to the ECD centre, Abu used to accompany his father on his daily job as a garbage collector at the market. He sat on his father’s makeshift wheel barrow as they roam the street in search of job. The practice exposed Abu to very unhygienic conditions daily .He also looked malnourished and withdrawn.

Abu was recommended for admission to the ECD centre by an outreach worker. At the centre he had the opportunity to play with other children in a safe environment .He enjoyed nutritious meals daily as well as health checks from the community health nurse.  He started and completed the necessary immunization during his time at the centre. The centre also gave Abu a chance to experience appropriate early learning activities provided by trained teachers and care givers.

Today, Abu has successfully integrated into primary school after acquiring relevant social, cognitive and literacy skills at the S.Aid ECD centre.

.Abu enjoys playing football and he said “I will become a big man one day.”