“I only realized I was in serious trouble when I phoned my uncle’s workplace, only to be told he left a long time ago. I spent several days on the streets of Bulawayo hoping that I would bump into him but I ended up joining a group of street kids who were begging for food and sleeping in the streets,” said Moses.
In 2008, Moses was taken off the street and sent to the Scripture Union-run Thuthuka Street Children Rehabilitation center. Thuthuka centre, which is located in Trennence on the outskirts of Bulawayo, works to reunite street children with their families and enable them to reach their full potential.
“We have been working with street kids since 1995 when an abandoned child walked into our offices in town seeking assistance. We offer skills training, family tracing and assessment and family reunification as well as reintegration of former street children into society,” said Maxwell Matewe, the Administration and Finance officer for Bulawayo Scripture union.
“This year alone we reintegrated 10 street children into their families. Some of the children are back in school. In most cases, we find social delinquency to be the main cause of children fleeing their homes.”
Since the centre’s inception, more than 85 street kids have been trained in motor mechanic skills, metal fabrication, panel beating, gardening, dressmaking, art, poultry and carpentry.
“We have an optional approach. Some children prefer to learn survival skills than be taken back to their places of origin. About 60 % of young people we have trained are either employed or in projects for self-sustenance,” he said.
Moses received carpentry training during his time at Thuthuka.
“I have opened my own workshop in Pumula where I make and sell furniture. I sell furniture such as sofas and chairs to big retail outlets. I have taken my siblings from the rural area and they are now going to school,” said Moses.
The centre also offers educational support by paying the school fees of children who want to pursue their education.
Post published in: News