Kuleana Street Children Centre opened in 1992.
It is located in Mwanza city, Tanzania, on the edge of Lake Victoria. Nowadays
Kuleana is funded by COET (Caretakers of Environment of Tanzania) and private
benefactors. Kuleana provides residential care for children coming from the
streets. Kuleana is trying to provide a safe and secure environment for
children. I was there doing my practical training in the summer of 2013 for
three months. The experiences, both good and bad, opened my mind to a
completely different work environment and an insight in to the way of life for
street children in a developing country.
When I was working at Kuleana there were
approximately 47 children living there at the time. They have a capacity of up
to 70 children, but that is providing that two children sleep in the same bed.
There are nine social workers working at Kuleana and two night workers. Guards
keep the children safe from outsiders and two women make breakfast, lunch and
dinner every day for the children. Kuleana works with the Social Welfare
department and with the police. Kuleana is only for boys. They come to the
centre either sent by the police, social welfare office, street workers or by
themselves. Boys come at their own will and they can leave if they want.
Kuleana works with street children, their
families, street mothers and their children and communities. Social workers
have their own areas which they take care of. Their main area of work is
re-integration. They try to find a street child`s family, counsel them and help
them in every necessary way so the child can go back home, where he belongs.
Community workers try to help families which are experiencing a very
challenging time. They try to prevent the child from returning to the streets.
Street-born workers help with mothers and young pregnant girls who live on the
streets. They try to help them to raise their children and generate some income
so they can provide for themselves and their children. They also give medical
help for the mothers.
Kuleana has their own school which the younger
boys attend every day. The older boys go to a local school nearby. The social
workers provide regular individual counselling sessions to every child who
lives at the centre. Those sessions ensure that children have the opportunity
to be listened to. They can talk about family situations, to deal with
traumatic experiences and start thinking about their future.
Kuleana Street Children Centre gives the boys
the opportunity of personal development and a better life.
