The main focus of this year’s CRED Uganda
trip is spending time serving the children of Retrak, and yesterday (Monday)
that started in earnest.
Retrak is an NGO that works with street
kids in a number of African countries; the first location was Addis in
Ethiopia, and then it expanded to work here in Kampala. Next came Nairobi,
Kenya, and they now also have, or about to have, bases in Malawi, Tanzania, DRC
and South Sudan. The work they do is incredible and I never cease to be
inspired and humbled by them, having been fortunate to visit them 5 times now.
The philosophy of Retrak, like many street
kids organisations, is that every child matters and deserves a proper chance at
life (but they put it better than that). But the way Retrak puts that into
practice is so impressive.
The process starts with outreach workers
going on to the streets during the day and also at night, from 9pm - 4am, seeking out the kids who are on the
streets, and slowly gaining their trust as they prove that they are friendly
adults and not negative, hostile, or abusive. They tell the kids about Retrak,
and what is offered, and then leave the child to make its own mind up about
whether to go or not – its all about choice.
Once the child has chosen to attend Retrak
drop-in centre, they go along to the Clubhouse, which is located in the area
that many of the street kids hang out in, and at Clubhouse they can get a bed
for the night, a hot meal, the chance to wash, access to a nurse for any
medical needs, and catch-up education. Retrak commit to provide all of that; the
child has to choose to commit to leaving outside the compound all addictive
substances and weapons, and following the simple rules of the organization.
For some children, that is as far as they
go with Retrak, as they don’t want to consider returning to a home, but for any
who would like to be repatriated with family, or to try and find a foster
family, the Retrak social work team springs into action and assists with
finding and contacting the family, or seeking out a new family, and then
visiting them, discussing the child’s wishes, and assessing the family
situation etc.
At the same time, those who want to go home
move to Tudabejja, which is the half-way house for Retrak, where the children
live in 8-bedded homes, and are helped to get back into the way of following
house rules, being part of a family group etc. They also continue with their
education and get the chance to learn some farming skills so they are better
prepared to return to a rural family life.
When the social worker is confident that
the repatriation is a go-er, the child and social worker travel to the child’s
home for the reunion. This might be in a nearby part of Uganda, or it might be
far away, or even be in a neighbouring country, so the journey to the reunion
can be a long one. But at no time is the child abandoned and left to fend for
themselves, the social worker goes with them the whole way.
And even then, the process isn’t ended, as
there is always a follow-up visit by the social worker 3 months later, and then
again after 6 months, just to give support to the family as well as check up on
the child.
It is the totality of the process that I
find so amazing, and that ensures that 94% of the repatriations are successful.
The staff really are passionate about their
work, and about helping the kids get off the streets. Elvis, the outreach
worker, and Danny, the teacher, are just so fabulous to watch as they interact
with kids who are high on glue, or other addictions, or have come in injured
and in need of some assistance. And the other staff are equally lovely and
committed.
So, with all that as the background to
Retrak, yesterday we took the team on a tour of the process, from outreach walk
for some (the rest did it today), to spending time at Clubhouse playing with
the kids and meeting the staff, to visiting Tudabejja and having the most
amazing all-singing and all-dancing welcome from the children.
Our team went from tears at the sight of
where the kids live in the most appalling conditions – in drains, under buses,
on rubbish heaps etc – and at the sight of such young children walking around
with glue bottles on their lips so that they can sniff the fumes; to smiles at
the cheers and excitement of the kids at Clubhouse; to laughter at the amazing
singing and dancing of the kids at Tudabejja.
And when they recall that the kids at Tuda
were once the kids on the streets, the hope aspect of the whole story becomes
clear. If you only saw one part of the picture, it wouldn’t be complete – you
could be in total despair, or wondering what all the fuss is about. But seeing
the whole thing – well, our team got it, and they are now embarking on the rest
of the week even more inspired, as they know where these street kids have come
from, and where they hope to go. And they also know that there but for the
grace of God could be each of us – which is inspiring enough to go and make a
difference.
Read their thoughts on the whole thing at
the cred blog: www.credfoundation.blogspot.co.uk.
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