Zimbabwe: Protection for street children

Nyasha was ten years old when he no longer buried the harassment of the older children in the orphanage. He ran away and hit the big city of Bulawayo. He slept on the street and begged. When a street worker of the Thuthuka organization became aware of him, he had already experienced hunger, cold, despair, violence and sexual abuse. Winning his trust took a long time. But it succeeded: Nyasha came to the Thuthuka protection center and finally returned to his old school and orphanage - after many conversations with the head of the orphanage and with his former teacher. Today Nyasha is a laughing child with outstanding school grades.

Nyasha's fate is representative of many children in Zimbabwe: poverty, violence and domestic conflicts drive children and young people onto the street. Her parents are often unemployed, even heavily burdened even with problems, so that they have no time or money to take care of their sons and daughters and take care of them. Many Zimbabwers go to the neighboring country of South Africa in the hope of work. They then leave their children with relatives, who often do not take good care of them or even exploit them. Some children have lost their parents through AIDS or other diseases. Completely on their own, these orphans try to get through with begging and help. Violence and fear are commonplace.

Thuthuka: A community that supports

Thuthuka means "stand up" and is the name of an organization that takes care of the street children in Bulawayo: with the support of Terre des Hommes, there is a contact center in the city that serves the children as a point of contact. Every day ten to 15 street children come here, find help with questions and problems, get something to eat, wash themselves and also their laundry, play or can be examined by a doctor.

But the contact center is only the first step. On the outskirts of Bulawayo, Thuthuka has a building complex with bedrooms, workshop and kitchen. Around 60 street children are accommodated and looked after every year. You are given the opportunity to go to school or to be trained in the areas of furniture construction, car repair or agriculture. There is also enough time for play and leisure. There is a separate football team and a music band. At Thuthuka, the street children find a community that supports and strengthens them. Over half of them were able to return to their families from here.

Also read a report on Thuthuka and the street children of Bulawayo (Deutschlandradio)