Children live on the street in uganda. They call them 'street children' but I feel like this is a way to dehumanise them and use them as scapegoats for societal problems. Though those who take glue can be obnoxious and treat people, even those trying to help them, without respect, it is a reflection of the fact that they too have suffered unimaginable disrespect.
Today, Christmas day, I feel like reaching out to them in a post. They may not read this but others who are in a better position to help them will.
They are not all orphans. Anyone who tells you so doesn't understand or want you to understand the complexity of the problem. Everyone comes from somewhere. Everyone has a mum, a dad and an extended family though not all of them are alive, most will have some living relative. That does not mean they can stay with them. Obviously nobody runs away from home if they are contented. Something has shaken them.
First and foremost what we need to understand as a society is that children who run away from home are not 'stubborn', are not 'troublemakers' as they are seen in Uganda - infact they're the most vulnerable of all of us. Maybe they don't look it - because their faces have become hardened by the realities of life - but they need help and love above all else.
After noticing the children, the second thing you see is that many of them walk around with bottles of solvents stuck to their noses. This is known as glue-sniffing and is one of the strongest factors preventing the children from transitioning home to a family setting. The glue is the same substance used by cobblers to attach soles to shoes. It is 'pushed' on the kids by other, older kids. They buy it in bottles, a small amount at a time, determined to make last until they've earnt or found enough money to buy their next hit. Alternatively they buy rags soaked in paraffin, which they store in bottles, to reduce evaporation. The outcome is thousands of children, zombie-like, roaming the streets with bottles attached their noses. It's so sad. I don't even know how to communicate to do this issue justice. Imagine your 12 year old niece or nephew, brother or sister, wandering around an unknown city with a bottle of glue under their noses, so zoned out that they can't interact with you; numbed to the pain of their life, and the cold in the night. Can you imagine a 12 year old child being in so much emotional pain that they turn to substance abuse.
The results of this abuse are not only physical and psychological damage but also self destruction. The prevention of them ever seeking the help they need or indeed accepting it if it comes their way because they become so irritable and irrational. They are the most difficult children to work with, but I don't believe in the commonly adopted policy of leaving them out. They may distract the other children, who are 'clean'; they may be a disturbance to any program running outreach for the kids, but they will never get better if they are not included somewhere, and it helps to have the other children set an example and treat them as their brothers and sisters. I truly believe all they need is love to kick that habit. Love and constant support to fill the gap they try to fill with glue.
I will go into more detail about their lives and the stories they have shared with me in future articles. For now I hope this has shed some light on the problem for those who not known about it before. In conclusion,over 15000 children sleep rough on the streets of kampala alone. They are not all orphans. Many have homes, but there is always a reason why they've left. Some children sniff glue or paraffin to numb the pain and physical conditions. These children are not easy to rehabilitate, but not impossible either. Please read on for information as to why children come to live on the streets.
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