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CATHOLIC ACTION FOR STREET CHILDREN-CAS
P.O. BOX MD 709 MADINA-ACCRA-GHANA
A GHANAIAN CHARITY WHICH TRIES TO ADVICE "OUT OF SCHOOL" CHILDREN IN GHANA
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SUCCESS STORY AKUA
Akua was fifteen years when she hit the streets of Kaneshie in September 2010. According to social survey reports compiled on her she is the third of six siblings born between her parents at Tarkwa Nsuaem in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana. She had her basic education there but falls off the educational ladder in Basic four. The report did mention that both parents were subsistence farmers and earned very meager income from the sale of their produce hence their inability to keep Akua and other siblings in school. She was then assisting her parents on their farm. The report further mentioned that the farm is about four kilometers from the town and had to work to and fro daily. Akua further said that, the distance coupled with the hazardous nature of the walk prompted her to travel to Accra to work and support herself.
Whiles in Accra, she transited to Kasoa a sprawling community in the central Region of Ghana but shares boundaries with the Greater Accra Region. Young Akua was working at the time as a “chop bar” assistance and occasionally doubles as an iced water seller. Unfortunately, after barely two months of stay she moved to Kaneshie in Accra after a theft case was leveled against her by her mistress which according to her was an unsubstantiated allegation.
While in Kaneshie, she was selling sachet water to earn a living and using cold store popular place in Kaneshie where street children sleep. Akua went further to say that there were times that she had to lean on the boys for support because she could not work. The boys on the street took advantage and made series of love advances towards her. She sometimes did not have any alternative than to succumb to their pressure thereby exposing her to a lot of health challenges. It was during this period of her life that she met a follow-up worker on the street who introduced her to the project in 2011. While with the project she endeared herself so much to all staff and instructors at the centre she put up a good behavior and participated in all the programmes at the centre.
She developed keen interest in cookery and pastries and went through an eighteen month training in the trade at the initial stages of her training, she was encountering a lot problems of adjusting well into his new environment (work) and also with her instructors. Fortunately for her, her supervisors and other social workers played a key role in this and took her through counseling sessions and this went a long way to “fine tune” her to go through her programmes successfully. On completion of her 18 months training on 2014 she had a three month attachment with a restaurant in Accra and whiles there she took NVTI Grade One proficiency test and passed.
She is currently being assisted by CAS Short Term department to look for a job and as a stop gap measure. Akua is making meat pie and other pastries which she sells on a daily basis to support herself.
It is her hope that she will be able to raise money or get some support to buy items needed in her chosen field.
SUCCESS STORIES KWESI
Kwesi hails from Sekyere Kobo in the Central Region of the Republic of Ghana. He is the first of five siblings between his parents. The father died when he was twelve (12years).
He had his basic education in the same town but could not complete his BECE because the father who was playing a vital role in his life suddenly died under a bizarre circumstances.
Life was really difficult; he was then loitering about aimlessly in the town without any aim in life. He then decided to travel to Accra to work and support himself. On reaching Accra February 2006 he carried load (head porter) and has Kaneshie Lorry Park as his place of abode. Life was really difficult for him to handle and it was during this turbulent period of his life that he bumped into a colleague also in the street who introduced him to the projects.
Kwesi was following CAS programmes and by dint of hard work he was referred to Hopeland for further preparation.
Kwesi opted to do Auto Mechanic to support himself to enable him lead independent life in future, he successfully went through the three year programme and took the NVTI grade one and two proficiency test and passed. He is currently a fully fledged Auto Mechanic and working with the Master. He hopes to establish his own workshop and train other children to also leave the street.
SUCCESS STORIES YAW
Yaw was 16 years old when he was registered by the project in 2009.
According to his social survey report, he comes from Bekwai in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana.
The report further stated that, he is the second of three children born between his parents. Both parents are dead, the mother died when he was eight years while the father was involved in a fatal accident in 2007 and sustained various degree of injuries but could not also survived after some five months of hospitalization. The death of both parents was a serious blow to the family who were playing active role in Yaw life.
The grandparents who were supposed to have taken over from where the parents left off were in their seventies look very frail and could not support them.
Yaw after having dropped out from school in 2007 decided to move to Accra with a colleague from the same town in the fall of 2008 to work and support themselves. While in Accra they were sleeping at Konkomba market one of the busiest markets in Accra carrying load to eke out a living in the same area. Two days later, he could not find his friend any longer.
Yaw was finding it difficult to make ends meet. There were instances that he had to sleep on an empty stomach or had to pilfer Bananas to survive. According to him, he fell seriously ill one day and did not have the money to treat himself and it was during this period that a street colleague who introduced him to CAS to receive some medical attention from the project. He got treated after two days of hospitalization at a nearby polyclinic. Subsequently, he was registered by the project. He was very active at the centre and earned recommendation to Hopeland for further preparation in 2010.
He expressed interest to learn apprenticeship training in auto mechanic where he came out successfully. He took the NVTI grade one and two proficiency test and passed currently, he is working with the master on work and pay basis.
According to Yaw, it is hope that he will establish his own shop one day and train others as well. He finally expresses his sincere apprenticeship to the project for the support given him.
He is very thankful to the project for turning his life around. His hope and prayer that he will get some support to buy tools and establish his own shop one day.