Three year project aiming to reach a total of 600 street connected children and youth
In 2017, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child released its General Comment No. 21 on Children in Street Situations. This document provides authoritative guidance to States on developing comprehensive, long-term national strategies on children in street situations using a holistic, child rights approach and addressing both prevention and response in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Cheka Sana is working alongside our partners Railway Children Africa to deliver a three year project funded by UK Aid (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, HM Government) to assist with the implementation of the principles and standards identified in the General Comment.
The target groups are children 7-14 years, youth 15-20 years and their families.
The project activities aim to
- Engaging CYLWS (Children and Youths Living and Working on the Streets) both on the streets and at drop-in centres, through sports, recreation games, hygiene sessions, non-formal literacy skills, and counselling and art therapy.
- Promoting family reunification through conducting family tracing, administering assessments for family reunification and ongoing monitoring, support and therapeutic interventions to help families heal from trauma and abuse. We also refer caregivers to economic and employment opportunities.
- Identifying youths on the street and supporting them to form youth association groups. This is facilitated through leadership training (to youth leaders), life skills sessions, business, vocational and entrepreneurship training, and linking young people with apprenticeship opportunities and business grants.
The project provides linkage and referral to HTC services including referral to other social and health related services. It also provides beneficiaries with sexual health and relationships education while building awareness about risky sexual behaviour and the prevention and reporting of sexual abuse and rape.
Donor
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, HM Government (UK Aid) under Railway Children Africa
Location
Ilemela district in Mwanza region Tanzania- East Africa
Duration
3 years from April 2017
Staff
22
Main Results
- Street connected children and youth have increased their reintegration readiness and made a successful reintegration into a home setting.
- Families have strengthened their families in terms of love, transmitting hope, support and guidance, and the positive attachments within the family, and the schools that the children are enrolled into are more accepting and inclusive of them
