Feel It: Endless suffering

hafielyas@yahoo.com

Khartoum State Government leads a campaign with multiple orientations within the framework of the national campaign to combat drugs targeting the homeless and the Children without parental care .

Meanwhile, Khartoum Governor held a meeting with the Director General of the Ministry of Social Development, they discussed the ministry’s plan towards the segment of those Children , including their classification, identification of shelter centers, provision of social care, shelter, food and treatment, their rehabilitation, training and conversion to productive energies in preparation for their integration into society.

The meeting ensured the involvement of civil society organizations to contribute to the rehabilitation plan for Children without parental care and homeless.

The problem homless or Street children has become more widespread. Studies in  Sudan indicated  that the number of homeless children is being deprived of their rights and needs and that they are exposed to health, physical and psychological hazards and incidents  of all kinds of violence

There are several causes or factors leading to the displacement of children, including  poverty, unemployment, family problems, lack of education, family and community violence, burns, conflicts and many other factors

Statistics indicate that the number of homeless children in the capital Khartoum alone tops 6,000, while some organizations set the number at 13,000.

Homeless or street children are suffering from miserable conditions and they are living in streets, abandoned buildings, tunnels and sewers, besides that they are exposed to physical and psychological abuse, not to mention that they do not have access to education.

Street children and homeless still have the right to an education, yet school systems do not accommodate this highly vulnerable group. Street children are routinely denied the opportunity to grow and develop through education, due to a variety of barriers .Most of them  are unable to attend school simply because they have to work to support themselves.The few street children who do go to school are regularly absent and achieve poor learning outcomes due to having a lack of time to study.Street children often struggle with low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and a sense of worthlessness and shame.

The stigma of being on the streets makes it difficult for children to integrate into education and with their peers.Teachers have not had adequate training to deal with such sensitive issues as vulnerable children, inclusive education, and child protection.Due to the negative labelling of street children, there is poor awareness amongst communities of the need to support the reintegration and education of these children.

They  need to be able to access school. Education can make living on the streets a temporary experience instead of a lifelong sentence. In order for street children to be able to go to school, these children need a supportive and flexible environment where they are made to feel like valuable pupils, not criminal vagrants.