There are thought to be thousands of street children in Lubumbashi alone, and since 2009 Kimbilio has been helping to reunite these children with their families. We take the time to get to know each child on a personal level, before locating their family and helping them to rebuild their relationship. This is a challenging and emotional process, but giving children this second chance can be life-changing.
There are thought to be over 250,000 children living on the streets of D. R. Congo. Many have been orphaned; or their parents have divorced and abandoned them for their new families. Others are accused of child witchcraft, a wide held belief in Congo which forces children to flee for fear of abuse. Children are drawn to local markets, where they can find shelter and work; but the stigmatisation of living on the streets makes it difficult for them to be re-accepted by their families or community.
No child should have to live alone on the streets, and through our outreach work and personal approach, we are working to reunite children with their families. We have a fantastic reintegration team who take the time to get to know each child individually, whilst working to relocate their family. We then aim to rebuild the family relationship, overseeing the process until we are confident the child is happily back in a family setting.
Unfortunately street children often turn to theft, prostitution or drug abuse to sustain themselves, and this has a negative impact on the local community. By helping children build a future with hope, Kimbilio offers them a second chance to achieve their dreams, where they can become a positive influence in the future of Congo.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
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