Scholarships For Street Kids
Charity number: 1131559
Website: www.s4sk.org.uk
Description:
Our work began in 2007 with the efforts of British Quaker John McConnell, who sought to help a leprous mother and her baby begging on the streets of Rangoon, where he was teaching at the time. That year, we started the first non-formal education (NFE) class and awarded scholarships to two orphans to attend music college, one of whom now works as a musician for a Burmese TV station. Scholarships For Street Kids (S4SK) was registered as a UK charity in 2009. In 2013, to give ownership to the local staff and supporters who had formed, we established Hope for Shining Stars (H4SS). S4SK and H4SS now collaborate to bring real change to the lives of out-of-school and working children across Myanmar.
Our vision is to improve the life prospects of severely disadvantaged children by providing successive interventions of appropriate education. We hope that students will grow to be active citizens who respect human rights, understand democratic values and processes, and have fulfilling careers.
We focus on children from very poor backgrounds who must work to support their families and therefore cannot attend school, even if it is free, because their families cannot afford the lost income. Education alone is not enough; our combined strategy addresses family needs while educating the children. Our seven-fold strategy includes:
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An Active-Learning approach to NFE that is activity-based, requires no prior schooling, and uses project activities, games, quizzes, and handicrafts to build skills and confidence for vocational training. H4SS employs 32 teachers teaching 411 children in 30 regular NFE classes across Myanmar.
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Family support payments averaging 500 Kyat per class session attended to compensate for lost earnings, coupled with education for parents on budgeting, hygiene, child development, and valuing education.
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Social work to resolve domestic issues, promote good living practices, child rights, and protection, which has improved student retention.
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Income-generating activities within the NFE curriculum and provision of vocational training and scholarships for alumni, including support for public exams, transfer to formal schooling, apprenticeships, and higher education.
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Community Learning Circles to educate parents, raise awareness of child rights and protection, provide continuing education to NFE alumni, and foster interest in education within communities.
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Specialist training in Active Learning teaching techniques for teachers, fostering strong team spirit and support.
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Advocacy for improved welfare and education provision for this marginalized section of Myanmar society.
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