Scripture Union's project fights hard to save and rehabilitate Bulawayo's street children
SU Thuthuka Street Children’s Project aims to entice children from the streets to reunify them with their families and assist them to reach their full potential.
In a recent wide-ranging interview, SU Thuthuka Street Children’s Project Coordinator, Tracey Setoboli, cemented this notion by emphasising their desire to reunite the estranged children with their families or to introduce them into new ones where necessary.
“Our role is to get in touch with the children on the streets. The idea is to build a relationship with these children. When we build this relationship, we then make an effort and overall goal to reunite them with their families. We bring them into our programmes,” she said.
Above: Painting the girls hostel at Scripture Union's Thuthuka Street Children’s Project
Mrs Setoboli made a plea to society to understand that most of the children are not living on the streets of their own volition. She said there are various reasons which encompass economic meltdown, the breakdown of families due to the HIV pandemic and the ill- treatment of some children living with step-parents or other members of the extended families.
“As to why we have children on the streets, generally it’s because of the problems that the nation is going through. Economic problems, the family breakdown, HIV/AIDS and all such factors, either result in a child becoming a single or double orphan. Normally with the death of parents, the children are left with their grandparents in the rural areas and they end up dropping out of school due to the unavailability of funds and this is when they resort to going to towns, mines and cities and they eventually end up on the streets. Contrary to popular belief, only a minority of the streets children are on the streets because they are delinquent, most of the ones we are dealing with are genuine cases,” she said emphatically.
The project has assisted more than 600 children and has facilitated the reunification of 65 percent of the children with their families. It has also facilitated the adoption of some of the children by foster care institutions.
Thuthuka also trains the children in life skills such as motor mechanics, metal fabrication, panel beating, carpentry, dressmaking, polish and candle making, gardening, poultry and art. Eighty-five children have been trained and 60 percent of these have either found employment or have embarked on projects as a form of self-employment.
The Christian motivated organisation operates from two angles. It has a Contact Centre, which serves as a “drop-in” centre. This centre is situated at the central business district for ease of access to the children.
This centre is the place of initial contact with the children. The street children are free to visit the centre to bath, do their laundry and have meals before they make the decision to join the centre on a full time basis. The organisation does not compel them to move in but it “can only show them the water and let them decided whether to drink or not”.
Once contact has been made at the “town centre”, the children are taken to the Training Centre in the Suburb of Trenance. It is at this centre that intense rehabilitation takes place. Apart from teaching life skills, such activities as counselling, relationship building, family tracing and assessment and psychosocial support are conducted
As another way of assisting the rehabilitation of the children into society, Thuthuka discourages well-wishers and other people to give financial help to the children as this increases the cases of drug abuse. She encourages members of the community to approach organisations that deal with the children and make their monetary endowment, as these institutions have skilled individuals who can assist the children utilise the funds responsibly.
“We try to discourage people from giving them money because they end up using that money to buy glue and other substances to intoxicate themselves. We would rather have the money channelled through organisations that would be able to assist the children,” she said.
Plagued by financial difficulty
Like most institutions in the country, Thuthuka is plagued by financial difficulties that are hindering it from effectively conducting its operations. According to a project proposal, of which this News Correspondent is in possession, the Organisation requires US$ 82 000 annually to operate efficiently and effectively. The document also states that only 28 percent of this amount will go towards administrative costs and staff salaries and the rest would be channelled towards the implementation of the actual programmes and activities.
The funding ensures over 1000 children and 2000 community members are set to benefit directly and indirectly, respectively.
The project aims to achieve the prime goal of rehabilitating the children and the education of both the children and adult community members on HIV/AIDS, community leadership skills and child rights.
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