Ray of Hope Foundation-Zimbabwe for the OVCs
Children Living on the Streets
A street child or youth is “any girl or boy who has not reached adulthood, for whom the street (in the broadest sense of the word, including unoccupied dwellings, wasteland, etc.) has become her or his habitual abode and/or sources of livelihood, and who is inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults”. However the definition is meant to cover both children of the streets and children on the streets.-"children of the street", commonly understood as children with no real home to go to, and -"children on the street", who work or spend extensive time in public spaces, either alone or with relatives, guardians or other children, but have some sort of home. There are, however, significant gray zones between the two categories. First, in some urban slum settings a "home" can be relatively hard to define (what constitutes a home - roof, walls, a casserole?). Second, children who have chosen or been forced to leave home sometimes continue visiting one or both parents or other relatives or caretakers, sometimes sleeping indoors These kids are vulnerable and prone to abuse and diseases.
Children living on the Streets Programme
The programme aims to contribute to the integration of children living on the streets back into the community and works in association with community members, local organizations and decision-makers who are responsible for taking appropriate actions to promote and protect children's rights.
The programme shall be implemented through 4 main phases
- Rehabilitation: current children living on the streets are taken off the streets and provided social psycho support & temporal shelter, re- establish relations of trust and friendship with the children
- Transitional: focuses on community and street children participation, empowerment and skills development
- Reintegration: where possible the children are reunited with families or their communities.
- Prevention: this involves working with vulnerable children and families by raising awareness and counseling.
Objectives shall include:
- Change the negative attitude of the society towards children living on the streets,
- Consider street children as victims not criminals,
- Build the capacity of the personnel working in the field,
- Establish a database,
- Mobilize financial resources in programs related to the field,
- Remove the child from the streets and build his capacities to be better integrated.
- Provide temporal shelter for the homeless
- Provide career planning and guidance for children living in the street.