Street Action - Committed to street children through action and partnership

Grace Smith, a volunteer working with former street children at Umthombo Street Children, writes about her experiences at Umthombo’s Life Space programme and how young people are empowered to find a way out of street life. She also reflects on the the role of social workers and the challenge of reintegration.

For eighteen years Tom Hewitt has been an activist on behalf of street children in South Africa and beyond. Tom and his wife Bulelwa, are the founders of Umthombo Street Children. He was first exposed to the issue of street children in 1990 in Maputo, Mozambique during the civil war there. He started working with street children in South Africa in 1992, running shelters in the 1990s in the Eastern Cape at a time when street children were not even recognised as an issue.

As one of the founding members of the SCWC, and a long-term partner of hosts Umthombo Street Children, Nick Turner, co-director of Street Action will be in Durban supporting the event, blogging and tweeting as well as posting a daily three minute film of the highlights from the days events.

As the world marks World AIDS Day on 1st December, Street Action would like to draw attention to the millions of street children around the world who are affected by the disease but continue to be the hidden face of the global pandemic.

On Saturday local band from Crouch End, North London The Grateful Dads hosted an evening of music and fun to raise money for Street Action. Despite the awful weather their loyal following of fans turned up to hear the music and support the work of Street Action in Burundi and South Africa. Thank you to all those who came and over £1000 was raised.

Down the road in Hackney, the local Round Chapel monthly Community meal held a Christmas fair and donated a percentage of the takings to Street Action. £120 was given on the night.

As the world celebrates the achievements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on its 20th anniversary Street Action along with the Consortium for Street Children, a network of 50 organisations operating in over 120 countries, are drawing attention to the estimated 100 million street children whose rights are often ignored and violated.

Read the press release from the Consortium for Street Children and its members. Follow the link at the end of this story to download the press release as a PDF.