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| News and Events Calendar | ||||
| Kenya - Putting food on the table in Nairobi | ||||
Tanzania
- The family strengthening programme at the SOS Social Centre
Arusha may be new but it is thriving, not only with tiny children at
the day care centre but with youth as well. Ashley DeMartini, a new
co-worker at the centre describes the new FSP Youth Club. |
Uganda - Twelve year old Joseph, from SOS Children’s Village Kakiri recently took part in the 5th National Aids Conference held in Kampala, Uganda. He narrates his experience.. |
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Kenya
- Grace lived a hard life scavenging for food until she joined
the Street Children Programme at the SOS Social Centre Nairobi. Josephine
Rombo, the programme coordinator explains. |
Uganda - Children from SOS Children's Village Gulu support the Day of the African Child | |||
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Putting food on the table in Nairobi Due to rising prices, the Otienos, beneficiaries of the Family Strengthening Programme in Nairobi are having a hard time meeting daily food requirements. “Mum what are we having for lunch?” asks young Otieno. This is a common statement on the lips of many children and one
which worries Mama Oteino. With food prices rising at an alarming
rate, life for Mama Otieno has become very difficult. Price of key commodities almost double The price of key commodities including milk, bread and cooking fat have nearly doubled, with the increased expenditure eating deep into the savings of the high income Kenyans, while lower earners are cutting their expenditure on basic commodities. According to Betty Muthoni of the SOS Family Strengthening Programme in Nairobi, this has caused 98% of the target beneficiaries, such as Mama Otieno's family (families affected by HIV/AIDS) to seek supplementary food from the FSP. Most are eating just one meal a day. The high cost of food has also impacted on the children in that caregivers
are using all their available income on food, forfeiting new school
uniforms and other school materials for their children. Despite primary
education being free, children will often be turned away from school
if they do not have the appropriate uniform and text books. In addition, caregivers are being forced to take up second poorly paid jobs in an effort to increase income, forcing them to spend more time away from their families. “Most of the factories in the industrial area where I used to get my daily wage are cutting down on their number of employees," says Baba (father) Otieno. "Thus on most days I am forced to walk home a distance of more than 30 km. without securing a single penny to bring back to my family”. The situation is extremely serious and at the moment Kenyans see
no end in sight |
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Arusha youth find a
place to let off steam
It’s a Friday afternoon at the SOS Children's Villages Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) in Arusha, usually a time when employees and volunteers are finishing tasks and preparing to close for the weekend. Yet this Friday is different. At about 3.45, young people start trickling in from the streets and begin arranging chairs into a semi-circle in the large multi purpose room. This is one of several youth meetings that the FSP has arranged since the inception of the FSP Arusha Youth Club in April 2008. Today the youth, girls and boys aged 14- 22, will be listening to a presentation about narcotics given by a local community worker, following which there will be a discussion about what kind of club the youth would like to create; this means dividing the youth into sub-activities of drama, dance, singing, arts and crafts, and sports, all of which represent the varying interests of the 30 young people who now comprise this newly established component of the FSP Arusha. When the community worker enters the hall, the loud voices become whispers as the youth wait to hear what the woman has to say. She has come to speak to them about the affects of narcotics on health, the implications these drugs have on their future and the importance of staying drug-free to increase their possibilities of becoming successful, contributing adults. The session is participatory in nature and she cajoles the youth to share their knowledge and their experiences about the effects and consequences of narcotics. The youth are eager to share, rising out of their chairs and standing tall when called upon to speak, and scribbling intensively when the presenter suggests that they take notes for future reference. These brief workshops are all apart of the preparations for these youth to become peer educators. Every workshop in which they participate equips them with greater knowledge about public health and community well-being, creating youth leaders able to share their knowledge with the other youths in the community around them. Establishing a partnership with those who know youth issues Since its inception as a fully operational support centre in August 2008, the majority of the efforts of the FSP focused upon the caregiver beneficiaries and young children aged 2-6. The problem that was identified from these discussions was a lack of support services catering strictly and exclusively to adolescents. With the increasing social pressures of becoming an adult, compounded by a backdrop of economic hardships and familial network collapse, what and who did the youth have to fall back upon, to turn to in times of crises and difficult choices? The answer was: each other. With that in mind, the FSP set forth to establish a working partnership with another NGO that specialized in youth issues, in particular youth clubs. After a bit of foot work, phone calls and research around the area, the FSP learned about a Youth-2-Youth programme designed by the German Foundation for World Population (DSW). From the start, the individuals involved in establishing the FSP Youth Club felt it crucial to seek out a partnership with another organization, providing valuable insights for the knowledge gaps that the FSP had in terms of operating a youth club. DSW was the perfect organization to assist in creating a youth club that promoted solidarity, but also resources for support and educational services. They agreed that that they would assist the FSP Arusha in establishing a youth club. The FSP quickly arranged for a general youth meeting where potential members would be elected by their peers into the new club to act as representatives of the four different geographic areas in which the FSP operates. Youth leaders elected Seventy nine youth attended the meeting, including a group from the nearby SOS Children’s Village. The FSP presented the idea of a youth club and asked for input on being a youth today. Afterwards, 30 youth leaders were elected with the responsibility to inform and share their skills and knowledge with the youth from their communities. The next step was to arrange a three day training seminar for the new members. This is where DSW expertise not only enriched the youth’s knowledge about forming and operating a youth club, but enhanced the sense of community among organizations in Arusha. This new partnership has enabled the two organizations to attain mutual goals of reaching out to youth and providing them with a place to seek refuge, let off steam from life’s difficulties, form new friendships, learn, grow, and become active, contributing community members. The three day seminar addressed a multitude of issues, including; the Youth-2-Youth (Y2Y) concept, club leadership and administration, as well as, the importance of their role as peer educators. The Y2Y concept essentially explores ways to improve young people’s sense of self and identity, knowledge about sexual and reproductive issues, and ways to increase their participation and visibility amongst their local communities. Upon completion of the first training seminar, the youth received club tee-shirts and hats and thus began the FSP Arusha Youth Club. Drama is very popular Since that weekend, the youth have agreed that they will meet every
Friday and Saturday. On Fridays, they use the time to hold workshops
and seminars about various issues that confront the young people of
Tanzania. Last Friday, the youth opened with a seminar followed by
a drama. Come Saturdays, the youth arrive eager to participate in
their own particular interests be it drama, dance, singing, art or
sports. On this particular Saturday, the 30 youth leaders attended
an afternoon seminar on drama. This included learning about stage
presence, movement, blocking, and voice projection. While the youth
have only begun to form a club identity, their vigour and enthusiasm
promises to bring great things to the FSP programme as well as important
contributions to the growth and development of the youth themselves.
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Grace (not her real name) joined the SOS Street Children Programme (SCP) in Nairobi in April 2004. She was then 13 years old, extremely shy and lacked self-esteem. The foul odour from her body was a mixture, perhaps, of many days of not having washed, bed-wetting and a lack of clean clothing to change into. Her hair had a reddish brown unhealthy look and she wore different pairs of colored sandals, not quite her size. All the same it did not seem to bother her when I met her for the first time. Grace was beautiful, especially when she smiled; her eyes were warm and brown in colour. On the day we met at an open-air market she was picking up spoiled fruit and vegetables from a heap of garbage that was awaiting collection. |
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Grace was not in school that day, like other children. She told me that she had not been to school for a year and had dropped out of primary class three. The few years in school, were characterized by irregular attendance due to a lack of school materials such as books, uniform and imposed school levy charges. She was from a family of four siblings none of whom were in school. As a first-born child from a single parent family, she had been pressured into going out to the streets to look for food, while her younger brothers rummaged through waste in search of metal and plastics. This was my first experience of encountering children from an entire family surviving on the streets. Grace explained that her mother was sick and her small fish business had collapsed. Hunger pangs, she recalled, were her greatest challenge while she was in school and she lamented that other children teased her that she resembled a boy child. Grace moves to the streets When at home Grace was often beaten by her mother for straying out of the house, as her mother preferred her to stay at home and attend to domestic chores. On the other hand, staying at home for Grace meant pains of hunger and so she would venture out to the street despite the expected punishment if found out. At times Grace rebelled and gradually found herself sleeping out of her mother’s house for two or three days a week. Those days became weeks and she later stopped attending school. Her behaviour affected her brother Lawrence and he too left school and began a street life. Renewing her self esteem When she came to the SOS Social Centre Grace was an easy child to handle. With so much will to transform her life her image changed as she became the proud owner of new clothes from donations distributed by the SCP. The morning hot showers at the facility accompanied with a light breakfast, made her concentrate her energy on other disturbing and pressing issues in her life. By the end of two months, Grace had renewed self-confidence and the bed-wetting stopped. She wanted to go back to school and asked me to meet her mother. When I finally met Grace’s mother at the SOS Social Centre she was surprised and skeptical about Grace returning to school. The SCP had done its work: Grace was empowered to make a positive informed decision and turn around her life. The SCP provided the uniform and stationary required, talked to the director of Galileo Primary school to provide the school place and this golden opportunity was affirmed. Grace joined the school and has since picked up academically. Her skeptical mother has been proud of her daughter’s performance and is happy knowing that she no longer sleeps outside the home or wanders the streets. School meals are catered, courtesy of the school director and this has greatly supported Grace in school. Her brother has now joined boarding school sponsored by another NGO after his case was referred to one of our partners. Grace's mother also transforms herself The SCP has provided Grace’s mother with counselling sessions for herself and opportunities to attend parental workshops organized by the programme. These sessions have had an impact on the way she handles her children’s issues and created for her awareness on many issues such as law, health and child welfare. She is an active member of the SCP and has been an inspiration to the new members. Her health has greatly improved through medical care supported by the SOS Medical Centre and she is now able to earn an income from a horticulture green house working as a labourer. Grace on the other hand has integrated well into school and has new friends. Her keenness to remain in school shows that children found on the streets and out of their home safety net, are in search of basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and a sense of belonging. My last school visit to see Grace in school reminded me that she represents the girl child who has the desires to access education and develop herself but is met with challenges and the pressure to become a domestic helper. Protecting children's rights at the SCP Many nations across the world are aware of gender inequality but traditions and cultures sometimes take precedent, especially in the African continent. The SCP is guided by the need to protect children's rights, making sure no child is excluded from accessing primary education. This message is communicated to care givers through workshop trainings organized by the SCP and in quarterly meetings with caregivers. It is fruitless to work with the child alone, and the SCP has the mandate to engage the adult care giver to take an active role in the child’s welfare. The SCP at the Social Centre Nairobi continues to have ties with children even after they join school and are reunited with their family. School visits are carried out for each child and the SCP continues to track Grace by making home visits to ensure there is continuity. In the holidays children recruited come together for activities in the centre, which include ecological trips, games, tuitions and camps, enabling the SCP to catch up with the lives. |
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| Joseph makes his mark at an HIV/AIDS conference | ||||
Twelve year old Joseph, from SOS Children’s Village Kakiri recently took part in the 5th National Aids Conference held in Kampala, Uganda. He narrates his experience. "The conference was a very good opportunity for me because I learnt so many things; for example how to speak and behave in public. The theme of conference was 'Pre – National AIDS Conference on Children' and the sub theme was 'Meaningful child participation - evidence from the field'. There were very many children at the conference since it basically focused on children. There were children representing 18 districts in Uganda, many non government organizations, SOS Children’s Villages included. While at the conference, I represented the children of SOS Children’s Villages Uganda. Many delegates attended the conference too; among them was a gentleman from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development who was the chairman. One of my favourite delegates was the former National Education Commissioner Mr. Fagil Mandy who was very cheerful and kept encouraging me to participate in the various activities. In our discussions, we were divided into different age groups; I was in the age group of 11 – 12 which consisted of children from the Aga-Khan School, Gulu and Kampala districts. We held discussions about how to prevent, care and treat children who are infected with HIV-AIDS. I was also able to make a lot of friends. Misuse of funds Among the many things we discussed I learnt that it is not good to discriminate against people, especially those that are living with HIV/AIDS. One of my contributions that made people laugh was that the government should raise money and avail it to the children who are infected with HIV/AIDS to buy medicine, for example ARVs, instead of using it to meet their needs and those of their families. The funds meant to help children living with HIV/AIDS are being misused and used to fulfill personal obligations by some of the people in charge. Some of the contributions At the end of our discussions, I was chosen by my group members to present the discussion to the rest of the members that attended. The chairman was very impressed and asked me to present our views to the main conference (of adults) two days later in the same venue. Very many delegates and journalists interviewed me about how I felt about the conference but all I could say was, I thank God for the opportunity because not very many children of my age have had an opportunity to attend such a conference. Into the second day The chief guest at this second conference was the Chancellor of Makerere University Professor Mondo Kagonyera. When I went to present my discussion, this is how I began: 'All protocol observed'. This impressed many delegates around because several previous speakers started their speeches in this way such as, ministers and members of parliament. Shortly after I had presented, the chancellor stood up and said: 'Joseph has surprised me so much as he knew he would greet some people who were not around so he decided to start his speech that way”. I felt much honoured and knew that the Holy Spirit was guiding me. I was shown on so many TV stations while presenting the views of the children on HIV/AIDS. All in all I praise the glory of God."
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| SOS Children's Village Gulu participates in Day of African Child Celebrations On 16 June, SOS Children’s Village Gulu joined other NGOs, schools and Gulu district officials to celebrate the Day of African Child at the Kaunda grounds. The theme of the day was 'Child Participation, children to be heard and seen'. Indeed it really was a day for children to be heard and seen. The chief guest was a child from Trinity College Gulu, whose speech emphasised the need for the children to be heard and taken care of. He raised concern over fellow children who were still in captivity with the Lord's Resistance Army, which has denied them a chance to be children. |
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Twenty SOS children, seven co-workers and 23 Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program (CVAP) student volunteers (who have a partnership with SOS Children's Villages Uganda) participated in a walk from the Gulu district headquarters to the Kaunda grounds. Prior to the celebrations, the children's village took part in a series of preparation meetings together with other stakeholders and also made a contribution to making the occasion successful. The children also entertained the guests with dances and presented their artwork for the day’s exhibition. The Day of the African Child is celebrated in memory of the children of South Africa who died and were injured in the Soweto demonstrations of 1976. |
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