Regional News of Friday, 8 May 2015

Source: GNA

eSyllabus For Africa supports a street child

eSyllabus For Africa, a non - governmental organisation, has presented a cheque for GH? 2,800.00 to Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) to cater for boarding fees of Master Emmanuel Coach, a street child.

Master Coach, 15 years, dropped out of school when he was 10 years after the death of his father in 2010 and had since been selling coconut at La Poly Clinic in Accra until SCEF officials found him in 2013 and processed him to enroll in formal education.

Mr Paul Semeh, Executive Director and Founder of SCEF, said Master Coach was brought to Accra by his grandmother who resides at the Arts Centre with the promise to send him to school in Accra but failed to do so.

“He was since left on his own and he turned the Ministries into his home after selling coconut at La Poly Clinic until I met him on that faithful day. When asked him why he was not in school, he narrated his story and expressed his willingness to go back to school.

“We quickly processed him and put him on our website for sponsorship and we were all glad when eSyllabus For Africa came in and offer to take up his education that same year,” he added.

Mr Semeh said the NGO is currently working on a reintegration plan for Master Coach to enable him join his families to have a normal life.

He said Coach is currently enrolled in a boarding school at Action Progressive Institute because no family member has come forth to accept him in their homes and his mother is jobless and could not guarantee her support for the boy.

He urged the families to gather courage to accept the boy into their homes to give him a sense of belonging and also assist him to become useful member of the family.

“We in SCEF will continue to cater for him until he complete school and any family member that will take up Coach will benefit from SCEF support project to empower them financially through their small skills enterprises.”

He thanked management of eSyllabus For Africa for the continuous support.

Mr Quarme Zowonu, Country Director, eSyllabus For Africa, who presented the cheque on behalf of his Organization, stressed the need to revamp the extended family system in Ghana to ensure quality upbringing of children.

He said: “as a country, if we can reintroduce the extended family system, it will help in addressing streetism, school dropouts, and child trafficking.”

He therefore urged parents to be more responsible towards their children’s needs, especially their education to avoid raising more children on the streets.

Mr Zowonu pledged their commitment to continue to work with SCEF and other stakeholders to bring hope and future to Ghanaian children.