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STREET
BABIES – A NEW PHENOMENON
IN ZAMBIA
Christopher Mulenga, Director of
Friends of the Street Children in
Kitwe, Zambia, tells us of the growing
phenomenon of street babies in Zambia:
 “Street
children who have been on the streets
for a long time are now becoming
young adults, and want to explore
relationships – it’s
natural for any young person.”
he explains. “For instance,
“Lifeless” has been
on the streets for 6 years and is
now a young man – he has fallen
in love with Kabalye, and he wants
to make a commitment to her despite
their circumstances. They live on
the streets as a couple and our
fear is that Kabalye may fall pregnant.
This has happened to other young
couples – and second generation
babies are now being born to street
mothers. And on top of this, many
young street girls are vulnerable
to abuse which can also result in
unplanned pregnancy”
There
are many reasons why street children
may not be able to return home.
They may have lost their family
to AIDS, been abused, or run away
to escape a broken home. They may
simply know that their family is
too poor to care for them and feel
they are a burden. The longer these
children stay on the streets, the
more difficult it is for them to
leave. Inevitably, more and more
young girls like Kabalye will start
to have second generation street
babies in Zambia. As many of our
supporters know, this is also the
case in Ghana where 6,000 babies
are living on the streets of Accra
with their street girl mothers.
Despite
all of these difficulties, over
the past 2 years Friends of the
Street Children have successfully
reunited 73 street children with
their families, and these children
are now back in school and happy
at home. The organisation is now
delighted to have received the support
of the District Social Welfare Office
and the Local Government in expanding
their activities. But street children
who cannot be reunited, and second
generation street babies, present
Friends of the Street Children with
a new challenge. And at Street Child
Africa we are using our expertise
in working with Ghana’s street
babies to help our partners find
solutions for these new Zambian
street babies.
Street
Child Africa funds the Child Reintegration
Programme at Friends of the Street
Children, reuniting children with
their families wherever possible.
We also fund street workers and
community outreach workers who try
to find alternative solutions for
those children who cannot be reunited.
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CHRISTMAS
GIFTS FOR
STREET BABIES
IN GHANA
Christmas
came a few
days early
in Ghana last
year, thanks
to a delivery
of gifts that
brought smiles
and delight
to the faces
of over 750
street children
and babies.
Teddies,
blankets,
educational
toys, clothes
and books
were included
in the shipment,
which was
distributed
amongst the
street children
of the capital,
Accra, by
our partner
agencies CAS
and Street
Girls Aid.
The
whole thing
was made possible
by a huge
team effort
in the UK.
The staff
at Barclaycard
International
organised
a huge collection
of toys, clothes,
books and
other gifts,
and many other
supporters
gave generous
personal contributions.
Kellys Storage
in Gatwick
allowed us
to store goods
free of charge
all year (since
our own offices
are tiny!)
– whilst
shipment company
Cargolux and
handling agent
Spa Trans
Ltd worked
together to
ship the goods
to Ghana completely
free of charge.
Our
partners in
Accra tell
us that all
the children
were truly
thrilled with
their gifts
– so
the kindness
of all our
donors in
the UK really
did make this
a Christmas
to remember
for staff
and children
alike.
Our
thanks go
to everyone
involved in
this great
project.
- Kellys
Storage:
- Cargolux:
- Spa
Trans Ltd:
contact
through
Cargolux
in the UK
- Barclaycard
International:
- Teddies
for Tragedies:
contact
care of
Street Child
Africa
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FUN
DAY BRINGS SMILES TO STREET CHILDREN
IN ZAMBIA
 A
spectacular day of fun and fundraising
took place in Ndola, Zambia in
November 2003, organised by the
Catholic Diocese of Ndola Children’s
Desk. Hundreds of street children
from surrounding towns were invited
to join in the festivities –
which included music, dancing,
food, games, a trampoline, and
even a bouncy castle!
The
object of the day was first and
foremost to give street children
the chance to play and have a
great time – but also to
raise money locally to support
the Children’s Desk, which
coordinates the activities of
organisations working for street
children in the Copperbelt, as
well as operating a micro-credit
programme designed to enable families
to support themselves, and therefore
prevent families breaking up -
one of the major causes of children
running away to the streets.
Our
own Executive Director, Fr Patrick
Shanahan, was guest of honour
at the event, and Street Child
Africa provided the food and refreshments
for over 1,500 street children
and orphans. Fr Patrick said:
“This has been an absolutely
glorious day – a successful
fundraiser but above all a chance
for street children to simply
have some fun. It’s easy
to forget that street children
are children first and foremost,
and they need to make friends
and play and enjoy themselves
in order to grow and develop properly.
It’s been truly heart warming
to see so many street children
having such a fantastic time!”
Street
Child Africa partners the Children’s
Desk and funds their Field Work
Programme, helping them to provide
support and assistance to agencies
working with street children in
the Copperbelt Province.
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CAS
- TEN YEARS ON
In
April 2003, Catholic Action
for Street Children in Ghana
(our oldest partner agency)
kicked off a year of celebration
to mark their tenth anniversary.
Amongst the distinguished guests
at their launch were His Grace
Archbishop Andoh - Archbishop
of Accra, and Mrs Mary Amadu
- Director of the Department
of Social Welfare, who gave
the opening address.
An important event within the
celebrations was the launch
of The Ghanaian Street Child,
a book detailing CAS’s discoveries
during their 10 years of working
with and for street children.
Bro Jos van Dinther, Director
of CAS, spoke to guests about
the challenges of CAS’s work
- but also the successes over
the years. “In 1993” he said,
“nobody could tell us who street
children were or where they
came from. Today, we can give
you the answers”. According
to The Ghanaian Street Child,
86% of street children in Ghana
are a direct result of family
breakdown, and many have never
attended school.
CAS continued the celebrations
with an exhibition of craft
items made by street children
during skills training. CAS
told the visitors “Today we
want to show you that street
children have many talents.
We want to show you what they
are capable of doing if given
the opportunity”.
It is largely thanks to your
support that CAS has been able
to survive and grow, and continues
to assist many Ghanaian street
children every day. On behalf
of CAS - thank you.
To obtain a copy of The Ghanaian
Street Child, please contact
the Street Child Africa office
on
0208 972 9820.
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