Street Child Africa is a UK company
limited by guarantee, Reg. No 3597252.
UK Reg.
Charity no. 1074832 Reg. Office:-
Brabant House, Portsmouth Road,
Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0EY ,
UK.
Nigeria
Street
Child Africa has embarked on
a partnership with the Daughters
of Charity in Port
Harcourt. Through a network
of trained street workers, street
children in the city will have
the opportunity to seek advice,
refuge, and counselling. The
training of these young Africans
will commence in March 2006.
This intensive course equips
participants to deal with children
who live and work on the streets
in a sensitive and appropriate
way. Many street children have
been severely traumatised, either
before the come to the streets,
or whilst they adapt to a life
of survival and poverty.
Boys
at the centre in Port Harcourt
Street
workers learn to recognise
where street children stay,
where they go to find food,
who they trust, and who they
fear. Street workers endeavour
to reach out these street
children with trust and friendship.
It is from this starting point
that a relationship between
adult and child or teenager
can be developed and strategies
for the child to leave the
streets can be investigated.
This may mean coming to a
drop in centre for food, advice,
a shower, clean clothes. This
activity can then be developed
if the child is ready to learn
and to attend informal literacy
and numeracy classes. If the
child is ready and willing,
opportunities to explore returning
to family and community are
considered.
This will
all take place over a period
of time as no child, particularly
a child that has had to adapt
to the harsh life of the streets,
is ready to make a quick adjustment.
