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.