Former street boy gives slum children bed and breakfast

Until October 31, New Vision will devote space to highlighting the plight of slum dwellers as well as profiling those offering selfless service to improve conditions in these areas.

Today, ANDREW MASINDE narrates how an NGO, Save Street Children Uganda (SASCU) has helped the youth and orphans of Kifumbira slum lead better lives “It was not easy sleeping on the streets of Mulago. I would wake up worried about what would happen to me the next day.

Life was hard, but Save Street Children Uganda (SASCU) came to my rescue,” Nicholas Kagaba says. Kagaba’s woes started in 1997 when their father abandoned them. He was only four years old.

His mother single-handedly took the mantle of caring for him and four other siblings. But because their mother could not afford rent, they were evicted from the house they occupied in Katanga slum.

With no one to turn to, Kagaba resorted to sleeping on the streets. For the next 10 years, the street was his home. Hope arrives However in 2007, hope came Kagaba’s way. SASCU staff in one of their outreach programmes spotted him and other street children playing football in Mulago.

The SASCU staff approached and asked whether they would be willing to relocate to the organisation’s project home in Kifumbira, a slum in Kamwokya. Kagaba took the offer while most of the other children refused and preferred street life. Through SASCU, Kagaba went back to school and today holds a diploma in business administration.

Now aged 19, Kagaba dreams of furthering his education by pursuing a law course. He also plans to start his own NGO to support orphans and other vulnerable children.

Kifumbira slum Like many other slums in Uganda, Kifumbira sits on a wetland. It is characterised by filthy water channels flowing through crowded shanty structures.

The densely populated slum derives its name from the ethnic Bafumbira of southwestern Uganda, who settled in the area decades ago. The majority of inhabitants are poor.

Darkness provides the perfect cover for the locals to go about the activities that define Kifumbira-drinking of crude waragi, robbery, defecating in the open drainage channels and bathing on verandahs.

Prostitution is the business of many women here. Some residents, especially women, have turned their rental rooms into bars or lodges. Good Samaritan inspired In 2005, a former street child, Innocent Byaruhanga, founded SASCU to rehabilitate street children and provide hope for other vulnerable children (OVCs).

“I have been on the streets and know what makes children go there,” says Byaruhanga whose NGO advocates for the legal rights and protection of street children besides providing education and other material support them. SASCU, activities SASCUs main objective is to integrate former street children and OVCs into educational and vocational institutions.

Byaruhanga adds that resettling former street children. is hard, although they have managed to do it. “We have set up homes and rehabilitation centres.

Now we are campaigning against sexual abuse and all forms of exploitation among hard-toreach young people. We are also equipping disadvantaged young people with vocational skills,” Byaruhanga explains. SASCU has given basic formal education at different levels through linking the beneficiaries to individual sponsorship schemes.

They have also partnered with learning institutions. Over 170 former street children have benefited from the SASCU education programme.

SASCU also has a programme called Youth Transferable development Skills project which is blended with other psycho-social support services including counselling, information, life skills training, peer education, positive recreation and talent identification.

It also provides a variety of options of skills for children and the youth to choose from, which include hairdressing, tailoring, computing lessons, shoe making and metal work.

According to Byaruhanga, this approach has supported strong and sustained behavioural change in addition to drawing adolescents and youth from child labour and other exploitative activities.

He adds that they also have a rehabilitation programme which gives basic necessities for example, food, accommodation, education, medical care and counselling, among others.

Sadly, some of the children have never slept in a bed or sat in a classroom. “We have worked to increase access and utilisation of HIV/ AIDS youth-friendly information and testing and treatment services for over 67 youth in the slum. These are in Kifumbira, Kamwokya and Mulago slums in Kawempe division,” Byaruhanga says.

He adds that they are empowering the youth socially and economically to reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Byaruhanga says he believes children should belong to secure families not on the streets or in orphanages and rehabilitation centres.

Beneficiaries speak out

Daisy who was picked upfrom the streets in 2009 says: “I am very happy because SASCU has given me clothes, food and above all education.” Mary Nantumbwe was taken on when her grandmother could no longer look after her. “ I was forced to go to the street. I was relieved when Byaruhanga took me in,” she says.

Nantumbwe, is currently a student at Makerere Institute for social development.