24% of the Street Children in Accra Ghana are Between 6 - 10 Years of Age

Top three questions I am asked about Street Children in Accra, Ghana:

During presentations about our work with Street Girls Aid, I am asked many questions about the realities that exist for children living, working and sleeping on the streets of Accra. Here are the three of the most frequently asked questions:

What is a “Street Child?

A Street Child is “One who is under 18 years, is born on the street and lives with parent (s) on the street; migrated to the streets; or is an urban poor child or street mother who survives working in the street*.”

How many Street Children live on the streets of Accra?

The Census on Street Children in Greater Accra discovered 61,492 children living, working and sleeping on the street.

What are the ages of the Street Children living on the streets of Accra, Ghana?

During the census, the following information was collected:

           

            1%       Less than one year of age

            18%     1 – 5 years of age

            24%     6 – 10 years of age

            37%     11 – 15 years of age and

            20%     16 – 18 years of age.

The next update will address other frequently asked questions such as: Where do the children come from? What is the gender breakdown? And, why do children live on the streets?

The stories of the children who have survived and become contributing members of their communities have a lot to teach all of us. Theirs are stories of perseverance, hard work and interventions by organizations like Street Girls Aid which has been serving street children – impacting generations for 20 years.

Back “Stories From The Streets” so that we can share the lessons learned with the global community:  http://kck.st/1It8o36

*“Census on Street Children in Greater Accra, Ghana” (2011)  

Stories From The Streets Kickstarter is Live!

Betty, Ophelia, Comfort these three women join the ranks of many who have something to teach us

Street girls waiting to fill their
bowls with items to sell 

about living on the streets of Accra, Ghana. They have stories of impact, not only of resilience and perseverance, but of survival and success. These three women have something in common, former street children: from the open air bath houses where they slept, to the commercial sex trade which afforded their babies food – these women have all overcome untold challenges and have become professional hairdressers, bakers and seamstresses; employing others, providing for their children and becoming productive members of their communities.

Theirs are just a few of the many stories you will read about, see captured in photos and learn about the realities of living, working and sleeping on the streets in the capital city of Ghana in the heart of West Africa. What drives children to the streets, what do they eat where do they sleep and how do they get off the streets? All of those questions will be answered in the book “Stories From The Streets…and Beyond.” An intimate look at the street children in Accra.

Join Stories From The Streets Kickstarter Today 

This kickstarter will produce, publish and distribute the stories of Betty, Ophelia and Comfort and so many more storytellers as we give voice and lift up their stories of success. Follow Betty’s journey that started when her teacher impregnated her at 16, her family shunned her after the baby was born and she was forced to seek work on the streets of Ghana. Hers is a story of hard work and impacting interventions by social workers from Street Girls Aid which supported and assisted her in her struggles to build a new life for herself and her daughter.

The railways of Accra, Ghana

These women’s stories need to be shared globally, theirs are stories of hope and inspiration and in

times of the global community seeking methods of eradicating poverty, of searching solutions for homelessness – who better to learn from than those who were there and triumphed over the immense challenges they faced. This kickstarter will produce, publish and distribute these stories and others in a collection of works called Stories from the streets and beyond

To get these stories to publication means you joining this kickstarter. The timeline is crazy urgent, but doable with the support and participation of everyone joining in. The book launch is already scheduled for June 30^th of this year in Ghana.

The book launch coincides with Street Girls Aid Ghana’s grand finale of their 20^th anniversary legacy celebrations and will in turn, kickstart their next 20 years of serving street children…impacting generations. Learn about what that means in this book. The former street children, (the storytellers) and their families have been invited to attend the book launch and we can’t disappoint.

To get the books published and delivered to Ghana by June 30^th, the book need to get to publication by June 1^st – still doable, and will require your participation. This kickstarter is going to make that happen!

Learn about the symbols chosen for the Street Girls Aid
20th Anniversary Legacy Fabric in the book
and on the Stories From The Streets Kickstarter page 

A team of people have been collecting the success stories from the storytellers for over a year and they have been gathered, all that is left to be done is to produce the pages, design the layout, edit, write connecting articles as well as some new content and compile the photos, stories, essays and add the list of the community who join in on this kickstarter.

The budget has been set at $8,350 and that will cover the costs described for the production, publication and distribution of books at the book launch on June 30^th. After the book has been launched, the book will be available on Amazon and sent to those of you who have selected the book as one of your many fun rewards for joining us in this effort. Any money raised over the budget that amount will purchase more books to be distributed during the anniversary celebration event.

I’ve cleared my calendar until this gets done, it is doable, but it is going to take all of you participating. Check out Stories from the streets and beyond kickstarter page for more information

about how you can make a difference and help lift these stories.

Join Stories From The Streets Kickstarter Today

Maya Angelou said that there is no greater agony than a story inside you that goes untold. These brave and courageous women, former street children have told their story, now it is up to you and me to share those stories globally. We can do it, but the time is now and it is urgent. This kickstarter is less than 3 weeks long, because we need to get into production immediately, so we’re not fooling around – we need to do this.