May 2017
fromthestreets No place to call home Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is home to at least 60,000 children who are living on the streets. Here they sleep on landfills, rubbish dumps and dirty floors. Life for these kids is hard. Passers-by don’t look at them like human beings. And these children have no one to depend on but themselves. Many children are leaving rural areas for cities, where they have more chance of surviving by begging, scavenging, taking on odd jobs or falling into prostitution. Children are often pushed out of their family homes because their parents are too poor to look after them, and sometimes, in the worst cases, they are running from violence, or accusations of witchcraft.
Little Rocks No official figure on the number of homeless children in Kenya exists, a fact that demonstrates how little is being done by the authorities to support and help the young people that find themselves in these desperate situations. “These children are traumatised … they’ve been abandoned,” explains Jane, a Pavement Project worker
Pavement Project
from Little Rocks, SGM Lifewords’ Pavement Project partner in Kibera. Founded in 2003 for children aged 1–8, Little Rocks school was started to help reach young people who are orphaned, HIV/Aids infected and affected, living below the poverty line, and who have special needs. Currently there are over 1,000 children in attendance. Students are taught, trained and catered for by 30 qualified early childhood and primary school teachers and caregivers. ➤
Pavement Project is a unique Bible-based counselling process that equips children-at-risk workers all over the world to raise children’s self-worth and restore a sense of hope for the future.
“Rehabilitating and socialising street children is a difficult task. After living in such terrible conditions, they become fiercely independent and find it hard to trust us,” says Jane. “We want to relieve children of their day-to-day pressures, and give them the tools to learn and take part in social activities.”
Agnes Agnes* lived with her stepfather who was desperate to get her out of the house. His hateful attitude made the 7-year-old feel rejected and worthless, and eventually it led to her running away to escape the abuse. On the streets, she soon found that things were worse. Agnes was exposed to yet more violence and abuse. At night she sought refuge at a former landfill site; rejected and alone. This continued for many months, until eventually she decided to take her own life.
Turning early scars into stars Jane first met Agnes amid these suicidal thoughts; the two were introduced and then Jane was able to counsel the young girl with the green bag.
A group of street children in Nairobi, Kenya
Agnes confided in Jane. She said she didn’t belong anywhere, that she had no place to call home. After listening to several Bible stories, Agnes realised that Jesus cares for her. That he is concerned for her situation and that he would want her to get better. The news that she is loved sparked a new lease of life in the girl, she was admitted to Little Rocks and became a part of the school’s community. The emotional scars she suffered at the hands of her stepdad could start healing. Many of the staff from Little Rocks have testified to the effect that the green bag has had on their work. Kevin says, “Pavement Project is such a great tool. It helps give me a better understanding of these children, and the suffering they have endured. Everyone wants to be loved, and seeing their faces light up hearing about Jesus’ love for them is such a privilege to witness.” Please pray for the work of Pavement Project throughout Kenya, and for all the children who so desperately need to hear about God’s love for them. *Names have been changed.
Bringing hope to Harare
SGM Lifewords launched Pavement Project in Harare, Zimbabwe in Novemeber of last year in partnership with Viva Network. Clara Ngobolia, Programme Director in Africa, says, “The kids most affected are those living in high density suburbs. These children feel unprotected and are therefore vulnerable to all kinds of danger. Some have lost all interest in school and resort to crime and prostitution. Many develop drug addictions. Negative self-image and self-worth are rife. Some of the children attend church on Sundays, but are angry with God, and battling with negative thoughts and feelings.”
Sunday school tool The green bag was made available to workers running a local Sunday school and 14 of the staff were trained and equipped with the skills needed to use Pavement Project. The results were astounding:
James and Gadwall Two teenage boys, James* and Gadwall*, had dropped out of school after experiencing difficulties at home. During counselling, they admitted being angry with God and their parents for not protecting them from the rough neighbourhood they’d grown up in – which had caused them to rebel. During the session with the green bag they both prayed for forgiveness and started attending school again.
Research undertaken by Viva revealed that children are at risk of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, family disharmony, and limited access to education and healthcare.
Darius A 12 year old boy, Darius*, compared himself to “a book that is not written” because he felt empty inside. During his counselling session the Pavement Project worker told him the story of the lost sheep. A smile instantly spread across Darius’ face! At the end of the session he compared himself to a child in God’s hand, telling the worker that he felt secure and happy. These 14 Pavement Project workers are now actively involved in counselling young people every Sunday, and are able to offer the children pastoral care, encouragement and Bible stories specific to their situation. “We can see so clearly how God has spoken to the children’s hearts and assured them of their security in him. Our work is just beginning – there are so many more who need to hear the voice of God through the green bag.” One worker even applied the skills she learnt in the training process to helping a couple reunite. After counselling their daughter, the worker reached out to them and using stories from the green bag, brought them to a place of reconciliation. *Names have been changed.
Lost and found Amelia* is now 19, but she experienced horrific incidents in her childhood and early teenage years. These experiences were so damaging to her that she thought about committing suicide regularly. A “repulsive worm that drags along the floor” was how Amelia described herself – the result of 14 years of sexual abuse suffered at the hands of her stepfather. A man that threatened to cut her and her family into small pieces if she ever spoke out about what he was doing to her. Eventually Amelia plucked up the courage to confide in her mother, but her mother refused to believe her. The abuse continued, and so she ran away. She felt like a lost cause and was struggling to fend for herself on the streets when she confided in a friend at school. The two girls made a “death pact” where they agreed to kill themselves that week. Tragically her friend was successful.
Saved from the streets Amelia, however, was saved from the streets. Discovered one day in tears by a Christian family, they welcomed Amelia and gave her a home; something she had been without for so long. They introduced her to a Pavement Project worker through their church, and Amelia was able to get counselling.
Amelia is now living in a safe and happy home
Her first session with the green bag was a tearful one. For an hour and a half Amelia wept, telling the worker how she felt abandoned and angry for the suffering she had endured. On her return, she was much calmer and receptive to the Bible stories the worker told. Hearing that God hates seeing children suffer the young girl felt a wave of hope for the first time in a long time. At the end of the counselling process Amelia compared herself to a girl holding hands with a father, because she is protected from harm. “He sees the danger and guides me,” she explained. Please pray for children like Amelia who are exposed to such awful and abusive upbringings, that they may find a way out of their situations, and ultimately come to know God. * Names have been changed.
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Tackling the issue of child witchcraft accusations The rise in accusations of witchcraft against children is a 20-year phenomenon that doesn’t get talked about very widely. It’s a huge and complex issue, and it devastates the lives of countless children around the world. Cases have been reported in 32 countries across four continents – though accusations are particularly prevalent in areas of West and Central Africa. Once accused of being a witch, children can experience all kinds of trauma, ranging from marginalisation and rejection from their family or community, to outright physical abuse in the name of deliverance. In the most extreme cases children have been killed.
Response from the streets
Let’s do more!
SGM Lifewords first got involved in the question of how to respond to children traumatised in this way through the work of our Pavement Project programme in DR Congo. Unicef estimates that 20,000 children living on the streets in Kinshasa alone are there because they have been accused of witchcraft.
Pavement Project is incredibly effective in helping children recover self-worth, and seeing themselves as Jesus sees them. We have seen the same 90% success rate with the green bag in DRC as we have in any other context that we work. We are delighted to have been able to provide Pavement Project tools as one way of responding to this extraordinary issue. Thank you for your support that makes this possible.
Bethany Children’s Trust (BCT) were already working with partners in DRC, who were meeting more and more street-living children accused of being witches. Because they were familiar with our work with Pavement Project elsewhere in the world, BCT asked if we could help their local partners. Our concern was to learn more and think about how to respond to the root causes of the problem, but first we wanted to help the children who had already suffered incredible trauma and abuse. Witchcraft-related stories from DRC are horrifying. Seasoned workers are still moved to tears by what children are suffering in the name of deliverance. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” one said, “and it still disturbs me.” Accusations of witchcraft go right to the heart of a child’s identity and sense of self.
We would love to do more, to equip more partners, and make sure children receive the love and care they need – in the name of Jesus. It costs £75 to provide a new green bag for a Pavement Project worker, which will enable them to counsel dozens of children every year. Any gift you are able to give will make a difference, and help us bring the green bag to more children who need to hear that God loves them.
Don’t forget you can watch videos of SGM Lifewords work with street children and see the green bag in action at youtube.com/Lifewords.
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SGM Lifewords 1A The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London se1 7qy T: 020 7730 2155 E: uk@sgmlifewords.com Registered Charity No. 219055