Street Action - Committed to street children through action and partnership

In the months leading up to the Word Cup, South Africa’s street children have not had such a positive experience with the authorities anxious for their faces not to be seen. We reported last month that Umthombo’s sustained work of demonstrating the alternatives to forced removals had seen the round-ups in Durban stopped and a new ear of positive engagement with Durban’s street children was welcomed. However, this was marred last week by news that another round-up by Metro Police had taken place and had been captured by a TV crew. Click here to watch the footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciZfRA2qlIs

The good news is that there have been no more round-ups since then. The hope is that it was an isolated incident and not a return to the draconian use of ‘forced removals’ as a way of ‘cleaning the streets’ as the World Cup begins this week. Tom Hewitt of Umthombo has said that following discussions with the cities municipality, despite past policies of rounding up street children, he does not think that the city supports this approach for 2010 and the FIFA World Cup can be a positive event for street children.

Ensuring Street Children are included

A key part of Umthombo’s work is engagement with the children and young people living on Durban’s streets. Safe Space, a therapeutic drop-in centre for street children, is the key to Umthombo’s strategy during the period of the World Cup.

With the investment Street Action has been able to give to Umthombo, particularly through the support of British Airways and the Tartan Army Children’s Charity, this has enabled Safe Space to be operational 24/7 for the duration of the World Cup. The Umthombo team will be busy during the World Cup ensuring that Durban’s street children feel included in the exciting events of the next month. The matches will be screened daily at Safe Space and the Tartan Army Children’s charity will be involved in holding a World Cup party for the children at Safe Space over the first weekend of the competition. Above all, Safe Space will continue its important work of empowering street children to seek alternatives to street life and to be reintegrated with their families and/or communities.

The FIFA World Cup is a positive event and can be a force for good for South Africa. It should be celebrated, but only if it benefits the many and not just the few. It’s often said that football brings humanity together. On the wall of Safe Space is a mural of one of South Africa’s liberation hero’s - Steve Biko. Biko often talked about one day bestowing upon South Africa the greatest gift possible – a more human face. If the country is to truly realise this dream and humanity really does come together to celebrate the World Cup, the street children who call the streets their home also need to be seen with a more human face.