DOUGLAS ALEXANDER MP VISITS STREET CHILDREN PROGRAM IN KENYA
The UK Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, today was a guest of Comic Relief at the Kisumu Street Children’s Programme in Kenya. His visit is part of this year’s Red Nose Day series of events to increase awareness of development challenges especially poverty, and encourage more people to engage with Comic Relief to make an impact on the crises in Africa.
This programme focuses on meeting the immediate and medium term needs of children living and working on the streets, in the hidden sector, in conflict with the law and addicted to hard drugs. A drop-in centre, the first in Kisumu, has been established to provide a range of services for street boys and girls in a way that protects them, assure their rights in a constantly changing social context where children have to contend with the daily struggles to survive. Kisumu City is the capital of Nyanza Province in western Kenya and has around 20,000 children who live on the street.
In a 3-hour live broadcast on BBC Radio 5 anchored by Victoria Derbyshire, Mr. Alexander commended the Street children’s program, especially noting the lives being changed and opportunities being opened for those children who otherwise, wouldn’t have got any. He said he was inspired!
This project is managed by the partnership between Widows and Orphans International, UK and Hope for Victoria’s Children (HOVIC) Kenya since inception in 2003. To date more than 2070 children have used the drop-in centre; with 391 children benefitting from non-formal education out of which 48 children have been enlisted in the formal education system – 35 in primary and 13 in secondary. In addition 2300 children have been provided one form of medical assistance or the other while 11 children have joined vocational training courses and 4 assisted to establish and run small businesses. The centre caters for averagely 100 children at risk providing 2 meals daily and has successfully reunited 56 children with their families.
According to the International Development Secretary, the project demonstrates that, “talent is widely distributed but opportunity is what is lacking”. The UK Government has pledged around £50m in development aid to Kenya in this year alone.
