Practical Job Skills Unlocks Confidence in Former Street Youth
Ten former street children have embarked on vocational training programs to launch successful careers in fields like fashion design, auto mechanics, carpentry and catering.
African youth working together for transformative change.
We seek out to engage with youth in street situations so we can help set them on a healthy path.
Future of Africa was founded by TK Mawuli Azaglo as a campus club at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2008, to educate university students on their misconceptions and stereotypes about Africa. Between 2009 and 2015 FOA organized and led several service-learning trips to Arua, Uganda, and Lolito, Ghana to engage Canadian university students in computer literacy, poultry, sports, and school renovation projects. FOA registered as a Ghanaian not-for-profit organization in 2011.
In 2015 FOA begun its work with children in street situations in Accra. Today, FOA delivers a 4-year holistic wellness, technical education, and entrepreneurial skills education to homeless youth in Accra between 13-18 years old. Our first step, Service and Street Outreach Program, is for our volunteers to engage with youth in the streets who have an interest in technical education and entrepreneurial skills.
Future of Africa mentors African youth to build hope, character, and assets to break the cycle of extreme poverty in Africa.
The focus is on earning their trust by providing friendship, meals, and emergency health care.
Future of Africa engages children living in street situations at Kantamanto and the Okponglo, and American House intersections. At Norviwo Community Center, we transition street residents off the streets, offer rehabilitation programs and reunite them with their families. We work with families to prepare and enroll former street residents in school or vocational training to help them realize and contribute their created potential.
We maintain strong interactions and relationships with children in street situations by engaging passionate university students who are keen to serve and develop their leadership skills. Our university students hangout with street residents weekly and participate in reflection activities to discuss their experiences and its impact on their lives.
Without the help of our extended family, Future of Africa could not be in the streets of Accra today, continuing to make the future of our street residents brighter.
Harnessing their courage, tenacity, and grit to be change-makers wherever they find themselves.
It is not uncommon for children in street situations to become destitute, hopeless, and disenfranchised. They are often treated as unworthy because they are written off as social deviants.
Through counseling, coaching, and our investment in their education, we are able to transform their mindsets, fill them with hope and encourage them to respond to a higher calling; using their experiences to ultimately serve and improve the lives of people in their communities.
Family is at the heart of everything we do, from serving as a family for at-risk youths to reconnecting them with their real families.
Now we prepare them for continuing the learning and support towards adulthood and independence.
Our education places emphasis on entrepreneurship because after the first three years we want to empower our graduates to create jobs, provide employment, and grow their local economies to reduce the impact of poverty. Our robust four-year program is built to ensure we inspire, embrace, educate and establish homeless youth to become productive citizens in their communities. With the continued support of our Norviwo Extended Family (NEF) we're able to provide further guidance and education to help keep those who have worked through our programs to continue down the path to independence, responsibility, and to become leaders for positive change in their communities.
Every moment a child is off the streets and in the classroom is another moment for the Future of Africa.
Ten former street children have embarked on vocational training programs to launch successful careers in fields like fashion design, auto mechanics, carpentry and catering.
Through street outreach, leadership workshops, and reflection sessions, FOA immerses high school and university students in the challenges faced by street children, helping them understand the issue and become advocates for change.
Cyril fled his abusive home, seeking refuge on the streets where he learned to survive through sheer resilience. A chance encounter with TK and volunteers from Future of Africa rekindled his hope, setting him on a path towards achieving his dreams.