Hargeisa Minority Street Children received Reintegaration support from Save Children and USWO

Today, 7 July 7, 2013 USWO minority right based NGO with precence Minister of Labour and Familiy Affairs, Child Rights Community Committees (CRCCs) from Dami A and B villages, and Ismail Yahya-Coordinator of Child Protection of Save the Children International (SCI) has begun the distribution package of support to the 60 Hargeisa minority street children in Dami A and B settelments in Hargeisa. Today, the first group of 20 street children had received one package of support containing 1 mattress plus 1 bed sheet for each every child.

During the street children sleeping package distribution event, the USWO chairman Mr. Abdilahi Hassan Digaale requested the parents of these minority street children to commit that their children shall no more continue staying and working in the streets. He also thanked to SCI and the Somaliland government for their continue keen consideration on child protection issues particularly to the most vulenarable minority street children. Mr. Digaale added “this support is not the first of it’s kind provided by Save Children Internation, but also it has provided direct family support including income generation and livelihood to families from minority communities in Hargeisa.

Ismail Yahya, the Coordinator of Child Protection of SCI in his words at event he welcome the hard working of USWO management team, togather with the Child Rights Community Committees members and Ministery of Labor and Socail Affaires, for their organization of the package distribution event, he underlined that the SCI is committed to continue to work with this project with USWO and other stakeholders including the parent committees and government concened agencies. Mr. Yahye called to the parents whom their children has received the sleeping package today, keep their children in all times. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE PROJECT

USWO in collaburation with Save The Children International (SCI) are jointly implementing a re-integrate 125 children into their families program in vulnerable minority settlements of Daami A and B in Hargeisa. These children currently live and work in the streets of Hargeisa town. These children exposure all forms of abuse including sexual abuse, child laboring; etc. USWO in collaboration with CRCCs, MoLSA and SC shall undertake the reintegration exercise.

Reintegrating on street children into their families and community is, however, no straightforward task. It requires concentration and concret strategy with effective child friendly process in the line with principles of child right convention. One of the first steps is to indentify number of street children from DAAMI (A+B).

The main objectives is:

• To reunify street children from DAAMI (A+B) with their families;
• To re-establish children’s normal life with their parents/care givers;
• To regain the normal behavior of the child by establishing Parent Child relationship and better understanding of each other’s rights  and responsibilities.

(left) Identification of street children at Jajabka.                         (Right) identification of street children at Red Sea.          

USWO Child Protection Officer and CRCCs mobilizer doing individual registration and interview of street children

The total children registered and interview range 111 so far. Generally, the physical appearance of the children interviewed seem despair including family livelihoods. About 80% of the children are found not completed lower primary schools due to poverty and/or do family support child laboring tasks. The average age of the children assessed ranges between 8 to 14 years old. About 60 % of the children interviewed have no primary protection concern, in particular those who live alone in street and have no contacts with their parents or relatives. About 48% of the children assessed need to have urgent intervention and join education and/or have skill to work for. It has been noted also that the child reintegration assessement revealed the following findings:

• 32 of children rejected to have family reunion;
• 60 of the children accepted reunion to their families; and
• 19 of the children are found unable to decide to make family reunion neither from their families nor children’s say.