Lost Children of Mwanza

It’s estimated that there are at least 500 children living on the streets of Mwanza. Often when we go into town, especially if we’re in a car waiting for the light to the turn green, small raggedy, children will reach their hands inside, begging for money or food. Some of them are quite young, as young as five years old.  

“If these children do not go home or learn to work they will become thieves!” Emmanuel, our favorite driver has said. 

(Speaking of thieves, a few days ago, one of our friends had her cellphone stolen right out of her backpack on her way to work at the hospital. When she called her phone from another phone, the man who picked up said he’d return it if she agreed to recharge his phone 5000 shilings. In the end, he didn’t show, and our friend’s phone will probably be sold somewhere on the street for not a whole lot of money...)

Back to the street children. There are several organizations in Mwanza who provide shelter, meals, some education and health care to street children. Children that most adults, especially the police, regard as vermin. 

I visited two of these organizations last week, Kuleana and Streetwise, to see if I could help them in some way. Kuleana currently houses 40 boys ages 5 to 17. I spent a few hours with them. They were all convinced that I was the sister of one of the (few other) Asian mzungus in Mwanza. “Your face! Your face! You look just like her! You are like her!”

Their stories reflect the spectrum of suffering experienced in Tanzania; some have HIV, some have disabilities (and were therefore abandoned since they’re a burden to the family), many left home because of violent abuse, or the death of their parents, and of course poverty, poverty, poverty. 

What about the girls? There hasn’t been a good answer to that question yet. Apparently, there is a home (possibly just one) for street girls in Mwanza. But like most organizations, they can only care for a small number of girls due to funding and capacity constraints. 

The rest are on their own. Some organizations allow girls to come for meals during the day, but not to stay the night. Some girls may find work as a “house girl”, helping to cook and clean, but you can imagine what other options remain for young girls living on the streets.

Please consider praying for the strengthening of organizations like Kuleana and Streetwise; for effective management, dedicated staff who will stay, for any potential role I may play, and though it may seem vague, for the children in these centers to find hope and encouragement.