Helping street children to be Street Smart

We were lucky to have many visitors to our Street Smart centre over recent months. We have always been a bit wary of bringing in volunteers and foreign visitors as, unless they have had relevant training, it can be problematical interacting with vulnerable children. However, some visitors can actually be beneficial and the benefit works both ways.

Our social workers were happy to rest their muscles a bit and let some enthusiastic high school students from England push the mobile school over our rough and muddy terrain. The mobile school has a Pied Piper of Hamlin effect and attracts many followers as it reaches its destination.hildren, no matter where or how old, have a limited attention span. Also, we are working with vulnerable children who are not yet ready for a fully trusting relationship and a long disciplined 'school day'. Therefore, our programme at Street Smart caters to this and intersperses fun activities with learning and more serious focus discussion groups. Our visitors from England were very enthusiastic to help out with our activities and to get to know the children, while respecting their privacy if they did not want to talk about aspects of their lives. They willingly engaged with the children at the mobile school, doing fun learning activities, telling stories and asking the children to show them games, songs and dances. The children enjoyed having new 'teachers' and asking them about their lives in England, what football teams they supported and was it always cold! The children felt encouraged by the visit, knowing that people from so far away cared about them, were interested in helping them and were happy to lose at football to them!

We hope to establish more connections with young people and schools in the western world, not only to create awareness of the problems that young children face in the poorer parts of the world, but to show all children, that no matter what  their background, children and youths and are more alike than different. They can help and support and encourage each other.

Yes, there really is such a thing!  Even the arid north of the country experiences a drop in temperatures during June to August.  In the more temperate and high altitude areas such as Nairobi and Kitale, there is a marked 'season' of cold nights, cooler days and torrential rain on a daily basis.  Most of us, especially the farmers, welcomed the 'long rains' with open arms.  After a prolonged drought, the rain was desperately needed to replenish food stores.  For those living on the streets,  however, this is the time of year they dread.

Children and youths come to the streets irrespective of the weather conditions.  What they are trying to escape is worse than rain and cold and their optimism that they will find a better life in town drives them out even in 'the winter'.  The reality of this season for a child from the hot, dry weather of Turkana, however, is beyond anything they have imagined.  They arrive in totally inadequate clothing - probably a teeshirt and light trousers or shorts - and may never have possessed or needed a warm jacket in their lives.  They arrive in a town where the locals spend the afternoons and evenings in fleeces, rain jackets and often even balaclavas, caps and gloves!  Their first challenge is to find a blanket, a cardboard box, an old sack, a piece of plastic sheeting or anything at all to wrap up in at night and to hope that an organisation such as Child Rescue Kenya will be able to provide something warm to drink, a jacket and the possibility of escape from the weather.

Our challenges at this time of year are providing those needs in addition to medical treatment for coughs and chest infections, and trying to deal with the menance of glue addiction.  Glue is easy to obtain and very cheap.  Sniffing glue helps children cope with the biting cold, the wet, the hopelessness and the hunger.  When the sun is shining, it is much easier to avoid it or stop using it.  When conditions are bad, it is incredibly tempting.  The only way we can really be effective in the war against this drug is by getting children into a safe and nurturing environment and this takes on a greater urgency in the 'winter'.  Dealing with their problems at home so they can return to an improved home environment is the only real answer in the long term and this is what we do - from street outreach to drop in centre, from family visits to counselling and empowerment through training, education and grants - we offer a lifeline. Literally.  Life on the streets is dangerous.  Every child deserves a family and a safe home.  Help us provide a lifeline.