This is a subject I have avoided until now; the plight of street children is very emotive and upsetting, when I come from a society where by and large children are cared for in a home situation (I know that sadly there are exceptions to every rule).
I wrote earlier in my blog about the street children of Kisumu, and their addiction to glue sniffing; have a look back at http://luolaughter.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunday.html and also http://luolaughter.blogspot.com/2010/08/children.html
The picture below shows the 'home' of many of the street children of Kisumu. Its the town rubbish dump, covering a site of about 5 acres, surrounded by a high corrugated iron fence. There are fires burning and smouldering on it day and night; more rubbish is delivered each day by lorries ... mostly plastic it seems, but also rotting food, ragged clothes ... I suppose the fires and the heat generated by rotting food keeps the children warm in the nights when the temperature drops.
In the second floor apartment we were sharing with someone from Pandipieri, we were living almost within sight of this dump, and we walked past it every time we went to the supermarket (which ironically is touching one side of the rubbish dump fence !) ... or drove in a tuk-tuk to the work-site.
The smell can be imagined, as can the smoke which at times is choking, and probably full of nasty chemicals from the burnt plastic. But, almost every time we passed it, there were young children scavenging among the rubbish, or even playing on it.
I never found out how many street children there were in Kisumu, and the ones that ventured into residential areas were driven away with sticks or thrown stones as potential thieves ... which they probably were. I was told by a street worker that the numbers are increasing.
My (copious !) diary for 17th February records a walk at night we had with a street worker. I wrote:-
"Paul arranged for us to meet with a friend of his from the mission, Alex, who has worked with and befriended street boys for seven years. Nigel and I went with Paul and met Alex near the main town market (not Kibuye) just at dusk as it was closing. We asked him the how and why boys (and occasionally girls) end up begging, stealing, glue sniffing on the streets. As I expected, the extended family break-ups due to too many members of a large united family dying from HIV/AIDS putting pressure on the remaining adults, who just can't cope with many children to care for, and often abuse them or send them away to look after themselves.
Already boys were appearing in two's and three's, glue bottles held in their teeth or stuck to their lip, so that the fumes are constantly with them. But many also slipped the glue bottle into their pockets or held it behind their backs while Alex spoke to them. Were they perhaps slightly embarrassed ? Or ashamed ?
The boys weren't as ragged as I expected them to be, but it was dark. We continued to walk round the perimeter of the market and the bus station, and the streets nearby. We kept stopping to speak to different groups; they all shook our hands, asked us our names, and then asked us for money or food.
Several boys were climbing out from of a broken culvert .. a deep storm drain which in the rainy season must be filled with fast flowing rain water - and rubbish, leaves and vermin the water collects on the way through the drains. But they were dry now, and provided some shelter for the boys living in them. Many of the boys slept in the open air market area, where there are permanent rough stalls they can sleep under, and there is also all the waste fruit , vegetables and fish lying around ...
Some of the boys were in a group outside a small lighted duka (shop) squatting on the pavement gambling with small coins or bottle tops. The fumes of cheap shoe glue (like that in UK from certain brands of marker pens) which eminated from the boys were very strong; many boys were sky high, drunk, incoherent from the fumes, unable to stand without support. Several of the boys were wearing Barak Obama t-shirts or badges or belts - he is the local hero, as the grandson of a Luo from near Kisumu. I wonder how he would react to the sight of drunk, doped street children, wearing his image ? Perhaps I should write and ask him !
We had been warned not to wear jewellery or a watch or have anything in our pockets; at one point I felt a hand slide into my pocket and spun round to see the grinning face of a boy who had checked to see if I had anything worth stealing in my pocket ! I just grabbed his hand, and shook it and we smiled ...
We continued our walk around the duka's in the dark, with Alex speaking to many boys that he knew by name. We saw where they buy glue ... which is sold to street shoe-menders quite legitimately.
Alex said that many of these children (who were aged between 8 and 15, I'd guess) had been abused in the home and had run away; girls who had done so were rounded up as soon as they were seen, by female street workers, and taken to a childrens home.
The street boys were on the whole friendly, polite and interested in Nigel and I, but I was glad I was with African friends while we talked to the boys; in the dark, surrounded by up to 20 doped children and teenagers had a slightly threatening, uneasy air to it.
It was interesting to hear what Alex had to say about why many of the children preferred street life when they had got used to it. They said that in the orphanages they got three meals a day, but scavenging around the markets meant they could also find meat and fish to eat, (even if it was going off) which was expensive and scarce in the orphanage diets.
Boys who do show an interest in moving off the streets are investigated to see if their natural families can in any way take them back; often there are problems either with the child or the adults such that they can't or won't. Foster families are now coming forward in Kenya and some boys do find new families (who are aided by money to help them support the child). Otherwise there are orphanages who can take them. Boys very addicted to glue go to a re-hab centre ... but it was emphasised that the boys themselves have to be willing to change their lives. Often they prefer the gang life-style that develops on the streets ...
Pandipieri copes with many ex street boys, and has an 'informal' school to educate boys up to a certain level ... informal because its is outside the state system. We were delighted to hear that the workshop site foreman builder had himself been a street boy once; he was taken in by the mission and trained as a builder; now he is married and has a child, and he is also a fine artist ... "
I also noted in my diary that later that night, there was the first storm of the coming rainy season ... I hoped that the boys in the culverts got out in time, and found somewhere to shelter...
Mark's gospel says:- "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to them ... "
No comments:
Post a Comment