Friends of the Street Children
Friends of the Street Children are an exceptional agency, working in the Copper-belt town of Kitwe, Zambia. They were founded in 2000, and since then have expanded and now run several programmes, including two rehabilitation centres for children who wish to leave the streets. FSC estimate that there about 400 children on the streets of Kitwe, with an increasing number of girls, who are vulnerable to STIs, rape and abuse.
FSC run a comprehensive outreach programme, and a team of street workers walk the streets on a daily basis to reach out to the children, befriend them and educate them. FSC's outreach team also run a street corner education programme, taking numeracy and literacy education to the streets so that the children can learn there without having to miss much time working in the market. This programme has seen remarkable success over the years. For instance, in 2007 144 children attended the street corner education classes. Of these children, 40 entered into the formal education system, and 24 went on to start a skills training course. Other benefits of the programme can been seen by one child's testimony. She did not leave the streets, but she did say "now I have learned to count, I know how much the market people are paying me. I was always being short changed before".
In addition to this noteworthy outreach programme, FSC run a drop in centre, a medical assistance programme and two centres where children are able to stay and prepare to go home. Chibusa Home caters for girls aged 2 - 18, and boys under the age of 11. The children are able to stay in the home for as long as they need whilst the workers counsel them, place them back into schools, and try to trace their families. A reintegration back into families from these centres takes a long time and forward planning to be successful - after all, if a child is returned to a home where the causes have not yet been addressed, they are far more likely to return to the streets. FSC therefore also work with the families providing them with a small loan system to empower them and let them realise their own earning potential. All sorts of small businesses have been set up, from chicken rearing to carpentry. The families have to repay FSC a certain amount of their earnings, but the rest goes to helping ensure that school fees are paid and that the children have access to at least one balanced meal a day.
FSC also run Kawama Centre as a rehabilitation programme for boys aged 12 - 18. This centre was purpose built in 2007 by the Romilly Forshaw Foundation, St John Houghton School and Street Child Africa. The centre provides accommodation for up to 30 boys at one time, and has a purpose built classroom and resident teacher to enable those children who have not been to school previously to catch up with their peers. Skills training such as flower pot making, mat making and carpentry is also offered at the centre, along with recreation activities such as football. Like Chibusa Home, the aim of the centre is to rehabilitate the children back into their communities/families.
In 2008, International Service (UK) awarded FSC with an award for defending the Human Rights of Children, and the Chairman, Christopher Mulenga was able to travel to the UK to pick up this prestigeous award from John Snow and the Arch Bishop of York.
You can also follow Friends of the Street Children on Facebook.
