Reaching Out to Street Children in Ethiopia

Retrak are continuing to support vulnerable children in Ethiopia, many of whom have faced extraordinary hardship and have been exposed to significant abuse and exploitation. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic we have been able to work across the country continuing our outreach efforts in order to identify children who are being exploited and provide them with valuable care. Between July and October 2021 there were 425 new intakes into our lighthouses.

To prevent the exploitation of children on the streets we carry out work with families, caregivers and the wider community, supporting community strengthening initiatives. In August alone our community prevention work saw the participation of 2,265 members of savings groups in Hadiya and Wolaita Zones, and we reached 318 people through community education and awareness sessions. The savings groups provide significant improvement in household income and therefore stability which reduces the likelihood children will run away and end up living on the streets.

We are managing the impacts of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia by ensuring that all staff remain safe and informed about the safety protocols that must be followed. In light of this we have suspended reintegration work apart from in cases where only very local travel is involved.

The below story shows how our aftercare centers can support children in Ethiopia to overcome the trauma they have faced, helping them begin to rebuild their lives.

13-year-old free after being forced to work unpaid for two and a half years

A 13-year-old boy who was forced to work for no pay for more than two years is now safe and at school. 

Solomon’s* mom had been a domestic worker in the northern Amhara region of Ethiopia, but she lost her eyesight after giving birth to twins, and was then unable to work. With Solomon’s dad largely absent, the family reached desperation point.

Solomon ran away to find work to prevent them from starving. While homeless and living on the streets, he was offered food, shelter, and work. But during two years as a domestic worker and farm laborer, he was never paid. He bravely escaped, and managed to find his way home, but was lured away by another trafficker who promised him a job.

Again, Solomon was not paid. After six months, he escaped and then panhandled in the city to earn a little money for his family. 

Hope for Justice’s outreach workers found Solomon, and explained how they could help him. They brought Solomon to one of our Lighthouses, where our expert team cared for him for four months. 

We provided Solomon with counselling, catch-up lessons and life skills sessions. As he began to rediscover his confidence, Solomon sang songs for his new friends at the Lighthouse. 

We also provided Solomon with the chance to take part in a small business course, before reuniting him with his mother for good. Now, Solomon is not only at school, but has set up his own shoe-shining business after we provided a start-up grant.

We will continue to support Solomon and his family to ensure that they stay well.

Retrak are working in Ethiopia to support some of the most vulnerable children to overcome exploitation and abuse.  The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated already vulnerable communities and left many more children facing hardship; it has also challenged the work of NGOs by disrupting programs and making communities harder to reach. 

Our Lighthouse aftercare centers continue to be accessed by children who have been removed from situations of exploitation and between January to May 2021 we had 366 new intakes to these. These centers offer vital care for children who have been trafficked and exploited on the streets and act as places of respite where children can access catch-up education, trauma informed pyschological care and medical treatment. Social workers continue to work with the families of children in our lighthouses to assess whether they will be safe and supported at home. In the first 5 months of 2021, 343 were placed in family based care, which, if safe, is extremely beneficial for a child's development.

The first half of 2021 has seen some loosening of restrictions in Ethiopia such as the opening of schools which has enabled us to carry out vital preventative work via Child Protection Clubs. In line with COVID-19 restrictions we have also facilitated Self Help Groups for women in smaller numbers. These groups allow women to save money to start a business and give them access to training on effective parenting to protect their children from street work and trafficking into domestic servitude, forced begging and sexual exploitation.  

Below shows the impact of one of our lighthouse centers on a young boy who went through a traumatic trafficking experience: 

Joyful reunion for family who thought their 9-year-old son was dead 

A grieving mother, who had thought her son was lost forever, said of being reunited with her boy: “The joy is like giving birth again to my son. I will never forget this day.” 

9-year-old Abenezer* was trafficked into labor exploitation from rural Southern Ethiopia. One day, he was playing with his friends near the local market when a trafficker approached him, and promised him a better life in the city. 

But when Abenezer arrived, he was forced to learn and carry out traditional weaving techniques in a harsh environment. He was given little food,and abused both physically and emotionally when he struggled to learn quickly or perform the work well. 

After nine months of fear and exhaustion, Abenezer bravely took his chance to escape. He was then found on the street by the police, who referred him to Retrak Ethiopia’s Lighthouse. 

When Retrak took him in, Abenezer was depressed and traumatized. He felt that no-one would understand what he had been through. For two months, our expert team cared for him, providing counseling sessions and life skills training. He also benefited from the support of the other children at the Lighthouse, who had had similar experiences. 

He began to visibly recover. He became more communicative, participated in activities more, and became keen to return to his family. Retrak worked hard to find and contact his family, who had been searching for Abenezer for months, and were delighted to hear that he was safe. The family were very emotional, and cried tears of joy, when we were able to finally reunite them for good. 

Abenezer is now happily living at home and is back at school.The police are searching for the trafficker. 

*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the survivor 

Your continued donation to Retrak helps enable us to support victims become survivors in Ethiopia. Without your support we would not be able to carry out this life-changing family reunification work.