By James Kwame Obeng
© 2005 Medical Assistance program (Phase I)
Program date: July 2005

Street Child Rescue Ghana (SCR) organized a program in Hohoe in collaboration with Unite for Sight Organization based in the United States of America this July 2005. The program was a success, over 500 patients had their eyes tested and supplied with spectacles free of charge - donated by Unite For Sight.

Those who required eye surgery were conveyed to Accra and the cost was also borne by Unite For Sight.
In a speech read on behalf of the president, Mr. F. K. Asamoah, Regional director of SCR commended the volunteers from America and the doctors of Crystal Eye Clinic of Accra for their hard work and dedication in their response to the community's' eye health needs. Through the program, the community has been awakened of the eye health practices and are taking proper routine check-ups to treat blindness and other diseases that affected them.

The MMDC, located on an eight-acre campus, 4 miles south of Springfield, Illinois in the USA have been a great source of inspiration to Street Child Rescue Ghana and other organizations around the world. They have shipped disaster relief materials to people recovering from floods, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes in the United States and have also extended their support to other third world countries.

In the four years that the MMDC has been open, disbursements like humanitarian aid, medical, and educational goods have been shipped to Ghana, Afghanistan, Algeria, Belarus, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Liberia, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Romania, Russia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, and Zimbabwe with over 181 tons shipped in the year 2003 alone.

Their volunteers pack kits, sort items, sew school bags, hospital gowns, and blankets, and box these goods for shipment at the CENTER. It has been remarkable to note that their ministry has truly fulfilled the “hands on “ mission of its outreach program for the United Methodist Church.

Their developing project is touching the United States and is now reaching out to the larger world. The outreach of the church is dependent upon the missions’ volunteers who give their work and enthusiasm. These volunteers find something meaningful for themselves as they come together for the benefit of others. For more information, visit midwestmissiondc.org

Street Child Rescue Ghana is a beneficiary of such relentless support to the homeless and disadvantaged and have the privilege of working with Inna Razmadze, Vice President (North Star Foundation, Inc): - Incorporated in Massachusetts in 1998 as a non-profit 501(C)-3 organization, NSF works to connect American donors with those most in need of their contributions. Thanks to the generous donations of American corporations and private individuals, they are able to provide critical supplies to help the worlds’ poorest to maintain a basic standard of living with: food, clothing, medical supplies and equipment, hygienic products, basic household goods, and toys for children.
www.northstarfound.org

Special Thanks:
Our sincere thanks also extends to (Dave and Jan Calley), Kara, Rev. Glen and Rev. Jan Stewart of Midwest Mission DC and Northstar Foundation Inc.

By Ms. Donnamarie Hudson
MIS

Mr. Eric Asamoah, President of Street Child Rescue Ghana was there to receive the items. "The street children in Hohoe need to be encouraged to acquire a form trade or vocation. This will help them to be able to gain some level of skills for employment to also contribute to the economic development in our society," said Mr. Asamoah. He also added that the organization is in the process of setting up a computer center for Help in the program of progress and to carry out web site design and computer skills training workshops.

"Fulfilling these goals of achieving universal primary education is urgently important. Why? Because education is the foundation on which hope, prosperity and peace are based. It is also linked to all other development goals," he said.

These ambitions have led SCR to intensify their campaign to "help for the needy" in our community. Mr. Thomas on his part said "When you donate to a just cause, you feel content that you have helped to make a difference in somebody's life and it's always a good feeling".

We are in this together: Community Child Protection in Hohoe district Street children in Hohoe

A study carried out by the University of Ghana, in recent years found out that more street children are moving into urban cities in search of non-existent jobs and thereby creating hardships amongst themselves and the city dwellers. This study revealed that a growing number of children lived and worked in the streets of Accra. Most of these children end up doing heavy laboring jobs; some children get involved in anti-social practices like, pick pocketing, prostitution and drug use and it is also believed that some of them - as odd as it may seem - are sometimes wrongly accused of crimes on the street and that gets them into contact with the police. The society is also to blame for this belief. A lot of these children come from different parts of Ghana and even from other neighboring countries and without proper accommodation end up sleeping on verandas and front of shops.

These children all have various qualities and can use a helping hand. Street Child Rescue Ghana thus, was drawn to this attention and introduced a necessary program to help these at-risk children by counseling, and offering support.

FACT: The actual number of street children in Ghana is unknown, but it is estimated to be 15.000 in Accra alone. A head count over a period of three weeks in 1999 in the Hohoe district alone was alarming. About 900 children were counted out of which 60% were boys and 30% girls.

Comparing this figures to other communities in Ghana may not sound like a large amount, but it is a cause for concern knowing that they are vulnerable to the spread of communicable diseases and the infant mortality. These children engage in unprotected sexual practices that may sometimes result in pregnancy, STDS and the spread of HIV/AIDS. These children need help and the community can play a part in protecting them and embracing their survival as our responsibility.

Safe Keeping; Facts on intensive child preservation services

In a memo addressed to the executives of Street Child Rescue, the President stated that, "the commitment of the executive to the welfare of these children should not be forgotten and that they should work to provide policies and practices that will help in the protection of these children". He also emphasized that effective outreach is a necessity. "Core counseling, health education and life skill classes will play a major impact on the survival of these children."

The involvement of corporate sector and the industry can also help to train some of these children and provide on the job training to those who may be involved with vocational skills that pertains to their choice of career.

Donation to Santa Maria preparatory School

In July 2001, Street Child Rescue Ghana gave gifts and toys and other items to Santa Maria Preparatory School, Hohoe. This school is among the few schools that have enlisted the street children who are being supported by the organization. Precision System, Inc USA and a few benevolent Ghanaians in America donated these items.

The items were received by the Head Mistress of the school, Madam Christie. A ceremony to commemorate the occasion was marked with recitals by the pupil of the school and an address by the President of Street Child Rescue Ghana.

Rough road to School

For Godsway Wordi and some other children of the Hohoe District, primary education starts at a much older age. It is shocking to know that some of these children who want to go to school, first have to do heavy laboring jobs for years to earn and save money to pay for their admission and school fees as well as buy school uniforms. Such is their road to survival.

They walk barefooted though thick bushes and are always at the mercy of the weather. Some of these children come from various nearby towns and villages. They usually carry loads at the lorry stations; sell iced water, dog chains etc just to make a leaving in the scorching sun for hours.
One of the children was asked if he enjoys his work, and he answered in the affirmative and said "the thought that he will be able to survive the next day makes him happy. "

This story appeared on the front page on an April 15, 2000 issue of The Mirror under the caption "Baby Survives 12 hours in grave".

The story featured a three-day-old baby miraculously escaping death after twelve hours being buried by his mother. The mother of the baby allegedly confessed to the Ejisu Community Tribunal, trying her case, that she could not afford to lose her boyfriend resident abroad, and so decided to get rid of her baby. The article said the mother of the baby, as she could not control her sexual urges, took a local boyfriend. She became pregnant and had a baby boy on the March 19, 2000.

After delivery, sources alleged that, she learned of the returning of her overseas boyfriend, so in order to cover her infidelity she hatched this wicked idea to get rid of the baby.

This is but a few horrifying stories of abandoned infants and Street Child Rescue endeavors to help these mothers by offering counseling to curb the recurring of such incidents.

In 1999, our program in Hohoe was confronted with the challenge in trying to help the homeless teenagers to enroll and to develop their interest in education. We made progress and beginning this year with our organizational assessments, we have resulted in the focusing of growth opportunities and challenges over the past five years. Most importantly our plan provided a framework of outcome measurement as a skeleton on which we will build our future organizational development.

In the future we also plan to work with other organizations with similar interests in these neighborhoods. In the hope that this framework will help sort out future needs and opportunities for the homeless.

In reality, we have been able to protect some street children, improve their livelihood and raise their educational standards. But in helping these children achieve their goals, we do not content ourselves with simply admiring the good work done. Rather our mission, both as an institution and a concerned people, is to ask how we can do better for more people, protect more children, to put more children in classrooms and reach more people in more communities in need.