Needs Assessment Part 5: Advice From Children on How to Prevent Children From Taking to the Streets

Here are excerpts from a needs assessment carried out in 2008 in a slum in Morogoro, Tanzania, by two dozen children and young people. The assessment was part of a Participatory Community Development project funded by the Baring Foundation and the John Ellerman Foundation of London. The local partner is the Faraja Trust Fund, primarily an HIV and Aids prevention NGO. The focus was on how to stop or slow down the migration of children and youth to the streets.

Please visit the Faraja Trust Fund's website: http://www.farajatrust.org/


WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO PREVENT THEM FROM BECOMING STREET CHILDREN?

The children interviewed came up with the following recommendations:

Informal Vocational Training/ Mafunzo Ya Ufundi:
They recommended that street children who have completed primary education be supported on informal vocational training such as carpentry, tailoring, masonry, electricity and brick laying. The IVT will enable the street children to learn and develop skills to become self employed. They mentioned that children finish primary education at age 14 and as a result cannot become self reliant which is the reason they end up as street children.

Deo (16): Informal vocational training would enable ex-standard seven children to get skills and become self- employed. Other older street children too would join the training instead of becoming street children.

Pili (14): I think the informal vocational training is a perfect idea. A good example is that of the street children who were supported by Faraja Trust Fund on informal vocational training. After the training they were given working tools and start up funds, they are now self-employed and therefore are earning some money instead of engaging in sex work.

Special School for Older Street Children (Shule ya MEMKWA).
About 96% of the children interviewed recommended the establishment of a special school for those who missed school in order to enable them (older street children) to have an opportunity for education. They said that in the whole community there is only one special school located at Jitegemee primary school but older street children are too shy to go to school there. And besides, the school is opened only in the morning until noon and that is not street-children friendly. They said that The Faraja Street Side School and The Roman Catholic School are located far away from Kwa Mahita community. They suggested opening a special school in their community which will be open the whole day in order to enable many street children to access it.

Idd (12): In our community a lot of children aged 10 and are not in school. They are shy to register at a special school at Jjitegemee because of their age and the school is opened only in the morning .At this time of the day children are busy in the street looking for food or money.

Mudi (13): The special school for street children is a good idea but my worry is that the street children may join the school but later on will drop out because while they will be going to school in the morning, after school in the afternoons, they will still face the problem of hunger at home. Unless there will be a food program at school, many children will probably drop out.



Play Grounds
The lack of play grounds and open space and lack of an official program to support sport and games at Kwa Mahita community is one of the reasons for the increasing number of street children and other deviant behaviours which include hanging around at the video shows. They mentioned that in Chamwino there is only one football ground known as Macedonia which is always occupied by older youth and drug abusers. The children recommended that the establishment of open spaces for sports and games will enable many street children to engage in healthy and productive activities instead of loitering and hanging out on streets.

Hadija (15): I believe that if there is an opportunity for youth to participate in sports and games for sure many children will be busy instead of hanging around in streets or vijiwe. Unfortunately, in our community we neither have such opportunity nor any programs or sponsors who are willing to train us on sports and games such as football, netball, drama, choir or music.

Restriction of Video shows.
The children came up with the recommendation that the local government, in collaboration with the community authorities, should either close all the video shows or restrict them to be opened after work hours and on weekends as well as prohibit children from attending the video shows during school hours.

Community Economic Empowerment
Economic empowerment through soft loans was another suggestion that the children made in order to alleviate poverty in the community. The loans would enable their parents/guardians to establish IGAs, generate enough income and therefore be able to provide basic and social needs such as food and education to their children.

Hadija (15): We believe that other project like MEMKWA or informal vocational training will not be successful as children will eventually drop out due to lack of food and other support from their parents/guardians. We therefore recommend that the first thing to do is provide loans to our parents/caregivers to enable them establish IGAs and generate income in order to be able to meet basic needs including food and other family needs.

Life Skills and Behavioral Modification Training
The majority of children in the Kwa Mahita Community are ignorant of sexual and reproductive health information, HIV/AIDS and related issues, drug and substance abusers, child sex workers and other health issues. It therefore, important that life skills and a community peer education program are established targeting street children at vijiweni so as to empowered them with such skills. This will enable them assess and avoid some risks and prevent themselves from HIV/STIs infection and make informed choices for their lives.

Youth (19): There are numerous vijiwe at Chamwino for children and adults too. Some of them have become drug addicts. A special intervention is needed so as to re-habilitate them.