The CTAC Project

The CTAC Project: For “Street Girls” winneba Ghana community housing, education complex and

programme framework

 

General Information

 

Introduction

The Global Village Action (GVA) 'Street Girls' Community and Education facility and programming aims to effect change in densely populated urban city areas of Ghana, and the ever increasing cycle of “streetism" caused by poverty. Our family home accommodation, programmes and curricular addresses this social ill by transforming and transitioning these girls out of the tyranny of the never ending enslavement of poverty and destitution to confident, well adjusted, healthy and educated young girls and women.

 

The term streetism is used to describe children who live on the streets due to lack of family ties or worse still stuck in manipulative relationships, where their guardians (or in certain cases parents) use them to support the household financially, through various activities on the streets. The main cause of the growing population of young people living on the street is poverty. Among this population , girls living on the streets are the most vulnerable in a number of ways and are susceptible to sexual, physical and drug abuse which complicates their exploitative state. They also lack health care, formal education, social and conventional / societal life skills. These girls naturally grow up to become young women, (some mothers) and often raise their babies on the streets, thus increasing the density of the cycle of this vulnerable street population.

 

Information obtained from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection suggest that the age range of girls on the street is between 10 and 18 years.

 

A 2012 census estimated that there were 61,492 street children in Accra, Ghana's capital city alone, this figure has increased considerably and is now stated as being approximately 90,000. (2017 date). Roughly half of them are girls. Approximately

75% of the street children originate from outside of Accra. 5% of street children were already born on the streets. 40% dropped out of school and 60% have never entered or visited one. Street Boys work mainly as carriers, waste pickers, shoe shine boys or car washers. Street Girls often sell water, food and in some cases also their bodies.

 

Needs Framework

The following framework is provided by Ghana's Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, (1995). There are three kinds of street children.

 

  1. URBAN POOR: those who return home at night and who may work part time or full time to supplement household income or pay for educational necessities.
  2. STREET CHILDREN: those who sleep and work on the street and have no homes to go to at night, (these are more vulnerable).
  3. STREET BABIES: those born to street girls. Children of street children have the highest level of vulnerability; they demonstrate physical and emotional underdevelopment
    and malnutrition.

 

The period of formative years for these girls are therefore lost in child labour with no returns yielded. Thus, instead of an investment in their future, the period is spent towards the daily sustenance of their families. On the other hand, due to their age range and natural youthful tenacity, they learn survival and raw entrepreneurial skills which can be harnessed towards a positive end.

 

The ultimate objective for Global Action Village (GVA), (CTAC) project is to address this current situation, particularly the girls, and work towards empowering them to a better future, alleviating poverty. This will have a positive effect on the quality of their lives, communities and the economy at large. The goal is to provide education and vocational skills training to enable them to earn an income in a more dignified and sustainable manner.

 

Aims

The CTAC Establishment will provide a facility, programmes and curricular that will enable the transformation of the street girls' lives, empowering them into a successful future, i.e. growing into adults who are able to positively impact their local communities and society as well as take up responsible rolls.

 

This project will address the above situation through the following ecosystem/strategy programme as outlined below:

  1. Wean the girls off the streets through counselling;
  2. Offer the girls a service of health and well-being;
  3. provide them with security and livelihood by way of:
    a home; a formal education; skill training;
    long term employment & income generation with a stronger work ethic
  4. Personal development planning and further education;
  5. Vocational development;
  6. Substance and Physical abuse prevention;
  7. Interpersonal and social skills development;
  8. Personal and wholeness development,
    (holistic body soul and spirit);
  9. Community involvement;
  10. Creative leisure activities, celebration;
  11. Independent living preparation, life skill training and follow up;
  12. Recreational / sports and Arts participation;
  13. Leadership training in various spheres of life;
  14. Continuous Coaching, Counselling and Mentoring.

 

The Crossover Transitional Academy College (CTAC)

The process will be carried out by an educational academy called The Crossover Transitional Academy College (CTAC) which is a charity based establishment under the Global Village Action (GVA) banner. The successful outcome of this project will be to enable the young women to break free from their current cycle of life on the streets and to become leaders, mentors, and role models for girls in similar situations.

 

Operational Concept for CTAC

The operational concept is as follows:

 

Key Objectives

The main goal is to create a centre of excellence that will provide the requisite programmes and tools to ensure that the young girls develop and mature properly into adulthood with self esteem, confidence, self worth, self sufficient and significant. Goals also include the restoration of hope, freedom, reformation, purpose, economic improvement and justice; to plan, develop and work sustainable, profitable and self sufficient agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture farming operations to provide food and income for the daily needs and meet operational running costs and maintenance of the academy.

 

Global Action Village (GVA) will maintain a principal of sustainability by design at the core of all project initiatives. This means that needs of the present are catered for without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their

own needs.

 

This objective is to unfold as follows:

 

Location of The CTAC Establishment

The CTAC establishment is to be located West of Winneba along the coastal highway in the Central Region of Ghana. The country is currently making significant efforts towards economic growth but is in dire need of maintained infrastructures, organised construction, corporate businesses and establishments that will help sustain that growth.

 

Among the 10 main regions of the country, the Central Region remains one of the less endowed regions with a widening gap between the rich and the poor both in urban and rural areas. This is a particularly poor region according to reports, and population pressures coupled with public health concerns have also taken their toll, leaving a plethora of social challenges.

 

The combined effects of these include; family breakdown, widespread unemployment, inadequate social and judicial responses to violations of human rights, child labour and discrepancy between educational opportunities for formal education.

 

Global Action Village (GVA) 'Street Girls'

Educational Programme Framework:

'Street Girls' as young as 10 years old up to 18 years can enrol in our programme. 15 to 18 year old students will concentrate more on the elective subjects and vocational training along with basic Numeracy, English and writing skills should these subjects been missed from their earlier years.

 

We aim to provide the following:

The development and framework of specific educational programmes and curriculum necessary to empower and promote each street girl to a self confident, educated, well adjusted young lady able to attain her full potential in whatever sphere of activity and employment she chooses and to actively engage with the local community.

 

The educational programme will be based on the existing Ghanaian Education curriculum and Children Social Welfare programmes. We are currently in discussion with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection department regarding the framework that needs to be set-out for this programme.

(It was an official of this particular department who wrote the original brief from which our street girls project model has been developed).

 

The 'Street Girls' project when fully operational is to cater for girls between the ages of 10 and 18 years. Some of the girls will have had some education and others none.

 

The education year and programme will be based on the current Ghanaian education system as follows:

 

Children entering Global Action Village (GVA)'s programme from the streets will be placed in age related classes. 10 year olds will start at upper primary school level until the age of 12 years.

 

During this primary education period the curriculum places an emphasis on the following:

 

Pupils are taught subjects such as:

 

Pupils are usually 12 years old on completing primary education. However this could be extended where pupils have had no previous education and need to catch-up on the basics of education. Global Action Village (GVA)'s Secondary Education programme consists of a Junior phase and a Senior phase, each lasting 3 years and finishing at the age of 18 years.

 

During the Junior Secondary phase, 12 – 15 years pupils are taught subjects such as:

 

At the end of the Junior phase pupils will sit examinations to obtain the Basic
Educational Certificate.

 

During the Senior Secondary education phase pupils are taught:

 

In addition to these subjects they can choose from a number of electives.

 

These electives are as follows with study

and specialization in:

 

Senior Secondary education is concluded with examinations for the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate (WASSCE).

 

The programmes will also include additional and advanced subjects such as:

 

The Global Action Village (GVA) facilities and services are free at point of delivery for the
'Live-In' Street Girls

– such as:

 

Faithbased Counselling:

Global Village Action (GVA)'s counselling service is focused on restoring the love of God, through Christ, in the lives of oppressed street children.

 

The core elements of the programme are as follows:

 

Part One — Foundation in God the Father:

 

Part Two — Taking Back My Life:

 

Part Three — New Beginnings:

 

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