Street children
The term street children refers to children for whom the street more than their family has become their real home. It includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families, but who live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. (Human Rights Watch)
- There are over 100 Million children living on the streets worldwide. (UNICEF)
In Tanzania the number of street children is growing exponentially. Increasing numbers of children are leaving their villages for urban streets for several reasons, including loss of parents, abusive caretakers, lack of basic needs, or even a desire to find a job in the city. Unfortunately as they reach the city they realize that there is no opportunity outside of begging. Without alternatives, many children resort to begging and the streets become a way of life. The roadside curbs become sleeping grounds and torn potato sacks are used as blankets. After months of horrible conditions of hunger, cold, street violence and police brutality, many kids turn to sniffing glue to obtain an artificial high to temporarily ease the pain. Drug addiction is the debilitating step in becoming trapped in a cycle of destitution and nothingness living on the street. It is no exaggeration that these kids are the most vulnerable in the world. They are forced to endure the cold every night with nothing more than the tattered clothes they wear. Even if resilience pushes them through the night, every day is a struggle to stay alive as they attempt to overcome the pain of hunger. Extreme malnutrition exposes their weakened immune systems to an unforgiving environment of malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and pneumonia. If the influx of children into the streets is not stopped now, we will lose an entire generation. The repercussions once unfathomable are starting to come to light.
See Nafasi Nyingine to see the active approach OHS takes to support marginalized street kids. Learn how you can start turning around one of these kid’s lives.
