Kuleana Street Children Centre

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.

Salla Painilainen