CHILDREN OF THE STREET ?

LAST SATURDAY EVENING late at night, two students, walking from Town to their University College Hall were attacked by Street Boys and cut up; their bodies thrown into the Sosiani River near the Town Bridge.      A crowd gathered and mob justice meted out - one youth being 'strung up' and hanged whilst more than a dozen others were seriously hurt.     Street Children 'live' under this bridge, and it was just assumed they were to blame, though no one SAW what happened!  The Town is no longer considered safe, and immediate ACTION had been taken over this last week to pick up as many 'Street Children' as possible and incarcerate them in the local police cells and remand facilities.     No one knows What to DO with them.     In the early 70's  one Nation was no frustrated by the growing numbers that they just told the Police to get rid of any vagrant found on the street - they DID so, violently.    They shot them on sight like rodents!

Street boy with glue

I REPORTED a few weeks ago that I had been appointed to head a Task Force to deal with this problem.  The whole matter has now been aggravated by the incident related above.       Since 1994 young people have been coming to the streets to find a living any way they can - mostly through crime and immorality.   Many came very young, and grew up on the street, married on the street, produced their own families on the street.
Many of them are STILL on the street living in their own communities - a population within a population.   TODAY it is thought that there are more than a thousand children and youths currently living in Eldoret Streets, and who are a growing threat to the rest of the community.       The new Governor of U.G. County of which Eldoret is the major city, is determined to eradicate the problem..............

30% of the Children my Task Force picked up  fortnight ago are back on the street having either run away from the 'Homes' they were committed to awaiting investigation, or who had been returned to their own home and family.      The majority of these are already used to street life, and hooked on drugs and other substances and habits.      TFH had taken three boys in from that FIRST Police Swoop.    The eldest who was 9 years old ran away during his first week with us; he returned to his drunk mother.      The other two remain with us up to date, and yesterday they were once more in front of the Magistrate together with their Mother who had been discovered brewing beer in town.     She is a drunkard.    There is no secure home for her children.
The Magistrate extended the stay of these two boys for a further week, whilst further consideration is given to the matter of what will happen next.      We think they will be permanently committed to us.

On Thursday Daryl and I attended the CUC - the Central Committee that had mandated our Task Force to find answers relative to this problem.      The Meeting was packed, and our Report was heard in deep silence.     What did we recommend?
WELL, whilst accepting the enormity of the situation, and with youngsters STILL coming into the town daily, we said that IF the streets were to be kept free of such youngsters we would need to have suitable and big enough premises to HOLD them in, after having been apprehended.       Once arrested then they would have to be interviewed, and where necessary rehabilitated, reintegrated or otherwise placed into society - all within a THREE month period.       We did not think it would be possible to find such a Facility that could deal with more than 150 at a time.    We could not therefore see a QUICK answer.   BUT The Task Force had found a facility INSIDE Eldoret Town that is currently idle and unused.    It was once a Social Centre under the then Department of Social Services for Eldoret Municipality.    Later it was also used as a 'Drop-in Centre' for Street children to find a hot meal, counselling and recreation OFF the streets on a day basis - NO sleeping accommodation.     Some 300 a day passed through their hands, and they managed to reclaim a number of them and re-direct them from the 'street' to school or their own home.      TODAY the Centre is empty.     The facility is THERE,   and it would be possible to provide for a boarding situation to cater for perhaps 100 at a time.     Staff is THERE, but mainly idle.    THUS if the government could step in and permit the property to be USED NOW as an immediate Detention Centre we might be well on the way to getting started.
ADDITIONALLY the Reformed Church of East Africa in Eldoret has also offered one of its Youth Centres which was initially built to cater for Day Care of Street Children to be used.     This would need provision of more toilets and showers as well as some alteration to allow for a dormitory for some 40 children.
IF FINANCE IS AVAILABLE we could be seeing progress within the coming month, and so stem the tide and reverse the situation.    
WE WERE thanked for the work so far done and given a full and substantial Mandate to push forward, and to COST both possibilities and report back within the week.

VERY ENCOURAGING,  but we will not know how REAL the desire to ACT will be before we know the Cost and WHERE the funds will come from.      IF it is to come from the Community, and from the Non-governmental organisations and charities we may find DELAY.         We are TOLD money is available, but actually FINDING it when needed is often difficult!     We shall see.     MEANWHILE the Town is restless with both the townsfolk and the street communities ready for a fight.      So please continue to pray over this situation which potentially could very seriously disturb the peace of this usually sleepy town.


IN THE MIDST OF THIS SOCIAL CRISIS the Kenya Revenue Authority continues to busy itself on behalf of Government in harassing those private charitable organisations and individuals that are working hard on a shoe string to assist the Government to care for its own children - FREE of charge.
This week Joshua Mbithi of NEEMA Children's Home reported that the Revenue Authority were demanding £100,000 in back taxes and had frozen all their Bank Accounts so that they could not carry on!    He and his wife Miriam were pulled into the Revenue Offices where they were subjected to threats, insults, and other innuendo non stop for most of the day.    FINALLY, late in the afternoon it would seem, they were told to go - with the demand that they pay only  £12,000  over a period to be determined.        A huge drop from the original DEMAND but still a FORTUNE.     Poor Joshua was severely tried in all this.     He is now intending to to to law about it since they do not have this kind of money, and feel it is unfair in any event.
WE ourselves have not heard anything more about own own problem with KRA.   They last demanded 3.4 million Kenya shillings (approx £27,000).     However WE have lodged an Appeal for EXEMPTION, and we wait to hear the result of this.
It is AMAZING that the world can be so SO greedy and so short sighted as to seek a share of what it imagines are the huge financial returns and riches charities like ourselves are hoarding up somewhere, when all the time WE are as poor as church mice ourselves, sacrificing to assist THEM to take care of what is basically their own responsibility.     Where is the Thanks and the Appreciation?      NOT ON EARTH I think!

THE MONTH IS ENDING.      Today is the 13th Birthday of my grandson, Eric Green.     Eric is our son Steven, and Anji's son, and like his sister Tonia has for the most part grown up away from us.   We see them both very erratically.    But each time we catch sight of them they are taller, more mature and good looking than before - or is that only the imagination of a rather biased Grandfather and Grandmother.    Well, Eric, we congratulate you as you enter the 'Teens' and Wish you a very happy year ahead.     We have you deep in our hearts.       I shall soon be 37 - on the 11th of May.      I still have, at this rate, about three more years before Life begins all over again!

Much Love to all of you.     Keep looking UP, and your heart MERRY.



John and Esther & Daryl and Carol