HARARE - Harare is home to scores of street kids who have become fathers and mothers, their babies born on the streets, according to a local non governmental organization. Streets Ahead provides meals for over 23 young mothers who visit the centre daily, aged from 12 to 23. (Pictured: Streets Ahead feeds 23 young mothers daily)“I came here a long time ago and do not have any intention of ever going back home. I will do everything, including sleeping with men, so that I can take care of my baby,” said Tracy Banda. According to Streets Ahead, 70% of children on the streets are boys, but
30% are young girls who end up on the streets as a result of abuse, neglect or poverty. These girls are sexually harassed and often engage in sexual activities at a very early age. One of them is Chipo Sibanda, aged 12. “Kuti ulume unotoita zvese-zvese (you have do anything in order to survive) a girl should not suffer from hunger when you can trade yourself for cash.”
In torn dirty clothes, Chipo and her pals dart along the streets of Harare, scavenging for anything to eat in the heaps of uncollected rubbish. They beg and whenever possible steal. Doped with cannabis and glue, the young street kids seem to have no worry in the world. Duduzile Moyo, the Director of Streets Ahead, said that the organization tried to reunite the children with their families.
“We try every month to take these kids back home. In June we reunited eight children out of 17 with their families, she said. The number of street kids has burgeoned in the past decade due to the unprecedented economic decline which has impacted negatively on families. There is no official count of the number of children currently on the streets, but Streets Ahead says that in June alone 86 new children reported to the centre.