Children in street situations are a global issue found on all continents and characterized by different realities. In 2005, UNICEF estimated that there were more than 100 million such children worldwide. Unfortunately, associations working with these children in Central Africa have noted a worsening of the phenomenon.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the phenomenon is growing in major cities such as Kinshasa, where the number of children in street situations was estimated at 30,000–50,000 in 2017.
In Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, more than 1,900 children are estranged from their families and severely marginalized. A large proportion of these children are not covered by any public monitoring or social welfare system.
To respond to the problems children encounter in street situations, ADAC aims to provide comprehensive support tailored to the needs and profile of each child.
Its support starts in the street and culminates in the reintegration of the child/young person into society, the workplace and, when possible, the family. Alongside our eight local partners, we employ all means necessary to ensure the protection and development of children in street situations. Front-line social workers care for and support these children until they are fully reintegrated. They begin with outreach and awareness-raising activities for children in the street.
They then direct them to day centres, where they can find safety within facilities whose philosophy is to build a relationship with the children. Hygiene and health care are provided to meet the children’s basic needs. The partners also work with the families to prevent the children from returning to the street and to ensure they reintegrate sustainably into the family. Support for socio-professional integration is the final stage of the overall support process, which should lead to real independence for young people who have reached an age to take charge of their own lives.
