STREET/DESTITUTE CHILDREN PROJECT
Since 2002, SDE has been implementing a project focusing on Homeless people and Street Children. The current project focuses on children living on the street. The project intends to improve the psychosocial and economic condition through successfully rehabilitating and transitioning to safe family-based care, alternative care and sustainable independent living after vocational skill training.
Children living on the street are amongst the most vulnerable and marginalized in society. The majority experience severe violations of their rights before and during their time on the streets. They are deprived of their right to access basic services and exponentially exposed to violence, abuse, economic exploitation and malnutrition. Many resort to drug abuse and transactional sex to survive. Girls and children with disabilities are often the most vulnerable amongst this group.
Homelessness is a result of multiple factors and most often a combination of structural and individual factors. Children's reason for leaving home are complex, but often linked to school dropout, prevalence of absolute poverty, emotional and physical abuse, neglect and family breakdown, family displacement an violence. Many fled to the main cities looking for a better life, however, they end up more vulnerable, exposed to violence, abuse, and exploitation. These children are extremely vulnerable, and many engage in negative coping mechanisms such as transactional sex, drug abuse and hazardous labour. Addiction and glue-sniffing is prevalent, an inexpensive and easy drug fro children to obtain, described to ease the pain of hunger and exposure to negative sensations. Most survive on begging, scavenging through rubbish or by eating leftover food from restaurants. They are often marginalized and discriminated and viewed as criminals and delinquents by the community. The project seeks to target and address the needs of boys and girls living on the street with outreach activities and rehabilitation service. The aim is to support children and ensure they move away from life on the streets to a safe conditions, either through reunification with their family, to foster care, or through support with independent living.
Current Active Project (July 2021- December 2023)
Major objective:
*Children lining on the streets have successfully transitioned to safe family-based care, alternative care or sustainable independent living.
Immediate objective:
*510 children living on the street have been supported to have their basic needs met and improved their psychosocial welling through enrollment in rehabilitation program
* 1000 or more children are reached through outreach program on the street to inform them about alternatives and be able to choose.
Project activities:
*Outreach program through volunteers and professionals
*Temporary shelter service (sleeping packages, clothing, meals, health and hygiene, etc.)
*Recreation and entertainment (circus, artistic play, indoor and outdoor games, dance, etc.)
*Social and psychological welling support (Life skill training on different topics and counseling)
*Vocational skill trainings ( Wood and metal work, driving skill, etc.)
*Reunification and reintegration service (child-family relation rebuilding, family coaching and employment)
*Alternative care (referral linkage, schooling, institutional care as a last resort, technical assistance, etc.)
*Formal education and tutorial services
*Small business start-up capital to the family
*Follow-up
Project approach:
*Outreach (to meet children of the streets on their terms and establish trusting relationships through engagement & psychological first aid.
*Transitional care and Rehabilitation centre service
*Reunification / reintegration
*Post reunification support and follow-up
Project strategies:
*Right-based approach (all engagement with the children of the streets must be child centered and value the child's own agency).
*Child participation (all decisions that affect the child's life should be made with the child).
*Child sensitivity and best interest of the child (the project explicitly aims to maximize the benefits for children and minimize any harm).
*Child empowerment (support children to understand their rights, their options and support them to make positive choices about their future and issues that concern them).
*Volunteers participation (A child has the right to autonomy and to control his or her own decisions).
*Case management (Achieving safety and security for a child will require different interventions based on the specific circumstances and needs).
Total project budget:
*39,727,301.00 ETB
Donors:
*Danish Red Cross and Ethiopian Red Cross Society