Street children exhibit resilience at its finest.
They live on the edge of life and face a world of extreme uncertainties and odds of survival, a kind of life that is alien to society at large.
The best that society does is push them beyond the limits of life, making it extremely difficult to survive the already harsh conditions in the open world, without shelter, warm clothing, guarantees of a meal, protection, and recognition.
However, given the opportunity to benefit from community development programs, like any other citizen, they thrive.
Unfortunately, this is never the case. It is the well-to-do who continue to benefit from such programs, while the poor turn a blind eye and target the poor as street children.
It is important to know that these children have enormous potential to become resourceful to their abusive families, neglectful communities, and country and world, either on their own or with the support of hostile authorities.
Street children are the most resilient human beings to be found, easily adapting to job opportunities that require resilient people if there is such a need.
But this does not mean that only “dangerous” places are better for them as a source of livelihood. They are also human, who deserve the best for their lives and, in fact, they know it and seek that life. It is unfortunate that they have to go through difficult and risky routines to find a coin or a few coins. With their earnings, they can buy food, drinking water and clothing for leisure activities.
Essentially, they rely on begging, collecting waste materials, washing cars, collecting water for small business owners, cleaning utensils in exchange for food, and in extreme cases forming gangs for security. individual against the hostile neighborhood and go on to steal for a living.
If compassion were the rule in the relationship with street children, extreme forms of behavior could not arise between street children and the authorities.
Living standards are set by the families they come from, the communities and the city authorities who are obliged to protect them.
Violence against children and later against street children has three levels. This is enough to push any human into the jungle paths. They face discrimination and exclusion from the neighborhood and city authorities, they are not part of the urban development agenda and they are antisocial, whose best place is the detention center or prison.
As they face a world of extreme uncertainties and odds of living and surviving, at best, society pushes them further to the very limits that life can tolerate. This makes it extremely difficult for them to survive the already harsh conditions of the open world, without shelter, warm clothing, guarantees of a meal, protection and recognition.
But, sooner rather than later, and as a group initiation, difficult circumstances normalize, and it is (normality) that gives them the strength to go on day by day, to surprise or scare people outside their group structures.
Eventually, they survive very well and dominate the slum business. With more support, since they want the opportunity very much, they succeed in their small business and join the core of the informal sector.
At this point, the street children we once knew as street children are different human beings. Some participants in a 2019 IMI study in inner city Kampala showed that some of the street children dressed so smartly that street life was now a thing of the past.
However, they remained just as popular with “distressed” street children. Despite making such advances, they showed the need to go back to school and increase the prospects for better job remittances; and, like most unemployed youth, they sought out better-paying job opportunities within their abilities and skill sets.
As such, their socioeconomic statuses can be enhanced so that they join mainstream communities as “legitimate” citizens and city dwellers.
In addition, street children could become national and international icons, if given a hand to do so. That way, they can even go on to join the leadership of the country.
For now, they struggle with all sorts of odds and uncertainties they face on the streets, including what the so-called legitimate actions of city dwellers and authorities throw at them.
A fact-finding mission on the “Impact of Street Children on the Development of Cities” showed that they had enormous potential to become resourceful citizens if given the opportunity to celebrate life’s successes. There was also evidence that they made their way into the informal sector, renowned for quicker investment returns and get-rich-quick setup.
As a basic right and source of sustenance, they demanded to live in the cities like any other citizen, to benefit from the economic boom that characterizes urban areas. They longed to be treated as human beings with rights to be protected by law.
In particular, discrimination and hostility from neighborhoods and city authorities were the main obstacles in their struggle for a decent life.
Street children were often treated as outlaws, with no opportunity to develop skills and exposure to promote their talents, mainly in music and football.
The needs were educational, economic, health, which included; talent promotion, active participation and benefit from community development programs, such as scholarships to start businesses, talent promotion shows, vocational training, development of language skills, business skills, life skills, sexual and reproductive health awareness , or access such services.
And, while these development programs were taking effect, the financial appreciation of part-time and occasional tasks improved their self-esteem, so they preferred that education and casual work be given that support at the same time.
At the institutional level, there was a need to share field reports, research collaboration, joint interventions and availability of equipment to support recreation and rehabilitation with an African focus, through established development agencies, to change the demonized face of children. from the street and ensure a decent future for them.
