Meet an Entrepeneur

Miriam used a loan from a Street Girls AID savings and loan group to expand her business, buy a maize field and employ workers to produce the food she now sells in Accra Ghana Learn the impact that this has had on her life and the future of her children.Each story in Stories From The Streets is filled with inspiration and hope. Help these stories come to life by supporting this Kickstarter - only 2 more days remain to make a difference and pledge your support. Don't delay - and thank you.

Stories From The Streets Kickstarter

Meet Ophelia

Street Girls Aid Social Workers Walk The Railway

When Ophelia was interviewed for the book “Stories From The Streets” she shared about her life as a commercial sex worker. At sixteen with an infant to feed there were few options available for her after being kicked out of her home. Her family blamed her for her pregnancy although she was impregnated by her teacher, dejected, she and her baby and some other girls slept in the open air bath houses, she’d given up any hope of a future for her child; she’d almost given up on herself.

After regular interactions with Street Girls Aid social workers in the railway, she turned to them for help. It wasn't easy. Following rules and adjusting to a routine which included educational and vocational programs required a lot of adjustment. Her health complications from the sex trade created additional difficulties.

Through the counseling she received, she opened up and made the decision to take action on her life, for the future of baby and for her future.

Several years later Ophelia works in a hairdressing salon earns a regular income and is able to take care of her child. She is getting ready to open her own salon from the money she has saved and she has successfully influenced two of her friends who were also commercial sex workers to learn skills and a trade. They are both working in their new vocations.

When asked what has changed for her as a result of Street Girls Aid and their programs, Ophelia has this to say, “I have acquired a skill which puts me in the best position to take care of my child. I feel more respected and I am privileged and happy. I have big dreams.”

Ophelia’s dreams and other important lessons from Ophelia are included in the book “Stories From The Streets” Help support the publishing of this book so that Ophelia and others can share their inspirational experiences.  http://kck.st/1It8o36

Stories From The Streets - Street Girls Aid 20th Anniversary Fabric

Service, Security and God Woven Together Protecting Street Children

Street Girls Aid Fabric - Find The 5 Symbols

Service, security and God are all present in the Street Girls Aid 20^th Anniversary celebration cloth which is being used to make clothing, table runners, head scarfs, place mats, bags and so much more. The girls in the vocational training program are reminded constantly of the deep commitment to service and security that Street Girls Aid demonstrates daily in their work with street children as designs are created and sewn with the deep blue and white fabric shown here.

Adinkra symbols have been used in West Africa since the early 1800’s when King Adinkra was a king from the Ivory Coast. The symbols used

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)  

Celebrate 20 Years...Impact Generations...The Time Is Now

Street Girls Aid 20th Anniversary Fabric

Dear Friends -

I am writing to you because you supported one of the three prior grants for the Street Girls Aid Ghana project which was featured in the August 2014 “Rotarian” magazine.  Thank you for that support!  The grants helped us achieve far more than we dreamed.  As a direct result of the strategic planning work that we conducted at Street Girls Aid, they are holding a week long 20^th Legacy Celebration in June involving all of their international and local partners.  Contact me or go to SAid’s Facebook page for more information if you are interested in participating.

Today, I am writing to you for a related reason.  During the strategic planning the Street Girls Aid management team identified the need to seek out former street children and interview them in an effort to find ways to improve services, as well as to learn about the impact of their accomplishments.  They spent the past year doing just that and have accumulated some amazing stories of impact.

Street Girls Aid has asked me to help them compile these stories into a book and then publish the book so that these powerful stories can be shared globally.  I have agreed.  But to accomplish this monumental and important task, I need your help!

Our team has launched a Kickstarter to help underwrite the costs associated with the writing, editing, publication and distribution of the book, as well as the funding of the book launch in Ghana as part of the Anniversary celebration. To comply with the Kickstarter rules, I have launched the project in my name as a writer because I have experience and will be spearheading the efforts.

Additionally, I am charging the project for only a small portion of my time and hourly rate as a means of contributing to the project and keeping expenses down.  (Kickstarter rules do not allow me to back my own project financially - so reducing my charges is a way I can contribute indirectly.)  I have cleared my calendar and am not taking any new work for the next two months while this producing the book.

The most important thing about this Kickstarter project is that the proceeds from the book will benefit Street Girls Aid.  The book will be sold on Amazon and some of the benefits of bringing this book to the publisher unencumbered are a greater opportunity for global distribution and an increased revenue stream and visibility for Street Girls Aid.

Kickstarter may be new and unfamiliar to you.  It does not run fundraisers; rather, it connects backers and participants with artistic and innovative projects like publishing “Stories from the Streets.”  Its web page is easy to use.  Pledges are not redeemed unless the project is fully funded and time is extremely limited.  The Kickstarter for “Stories from the Streets” ends on May 10^th and I am writing to ask you to participate in getting this important book into print and available on Amazon.

You can follow this link -  http://kck.st/1It8o36 - or go to the Kickstarter home page and put my name, Kathy Stutzman, into the search and you will find a site loaded with info about the project including videos and photos.

Please contact me if you need more information or have questions. This opportunity is important and will provide Street Girls Aid with increased engagement, visibility and funding. Thank you for becoming a backer of “Stories from the Street!”

Thank you – Kathy Stutzman