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23 December 2021
Prosperity Sikhosana<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The festive season cheer has been endowed unto Thuthuka Street Children Project after receiving food parcels, clothing and laundry implements at the Mayor’s Christmas Cheerfund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event took place in Bulawayo at the Small City Hall with the Mayor Solomon Mguni officiating and handing over the goodies during the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayor’s Christmas Cheerfund is a part of the Mayor’s charity event that is held annually to give cheer to the less previledged of our community. The other beneficiaries were Entemeni Old People’s Home, Ekuphumuleni Giatric Centre, and Thorngrove Infectious Diseases Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besty Ndlovu, a representative of Thuthuka Street Children Project said the project is a center for all “Street children” that caters for food, bath facilities and life lessons for Street children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Thuthuka is a Scripture Union initiative, where we work with street children living and working on the streets, young people living on the streets and marginalised people in slums and squatter camps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ndlovu said that when dealing with children living on the streets they have a contact center or drop center where children come to wash, bath and eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The different services offered there also include “food, that is hot meals” in order to avoid begging on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Besides that, we have quite a number of activities that we offer like reproductive health, life skills activities, sports for development activities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are sporting activities played at the center such as soccer and rugby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has assisted them to continue with the notion that they are still children like any other and with Thuthuka they have a chance to be part of a normal community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This, Ndlovu explains, has made the Street children responsible and have sort of ingrained self-esteem in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is important as the Street children are marginalised and discriminated while on the streets hence having them on the streets while in a clean appearance makes them have some sort of “dignity.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, though the center does not provide shelter for the street children, it still goes out of its way to assist in the children’s needs and problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“For instance, a child might come and tell us that he stole his grandmother’s R2 (two Rand) and he wants us to be mediators. So we act as mediators to go and apologise to that family so that they (can) take him back.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ndlovu further stated that they work with Social Welfare Departments that make it possible for them to track the family and unify these children with family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thuthuka’s main objective is to reduce the number of children living on the streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n