Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, in December 2019 we raised an incredible £25,562 through the Big Give Christmas Challenge in December 2019. A huge thank you to everyone involved.
The needs of street children often go unheard. Consortium for Street Children exists to right this injustice, and this year, our network of organisations delivering life changing work has grown to more than 180 worldwide. Thanks to the support of everyone who donated to the Big Give 2019, we are driving long-term change for street children by training our network to speak up for street children’s rights and demand support from those in positions of power.
As COVID-19 has taken hold, this work has become more critical than ever. Street children are often unable to self-isolate, wash their hands, or follow guidance to stay safe. The work the Big Give is making possible offers COVID-secure learning, which street children and practitioners alike can take part in without face-to-face contact.
Through supporting the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019, you are:
1. Helping street children learn about their rights
We have created a social media-style platform for street children to safely interact with one another and learn about their rights online, which they access through existing services and is a safe space where children are not at risk of contracting or spreading the virus. Throughout 2020, we have developed the platform to be fun and intuitive for children to use. We have created online exercises for street children to learn about their rights while using the platform.
This year, up to 13 organisations across Asia, Latin America and Africa will run workshops helping more than 200 children learn about their rights on the platform. The children will learn about important issues such as protection from violence, access to basic services, access to justice, equality, gender, and work. They will share their experiences on the online platform, helping street children in similar situations to learn from one another.
2. Upskilling people who work with street children
Those who work with street children understand the issues they face and can be strong influencers. We have developed a special e-learning course for practitioners to learn how to make street children’s voices heard by those in power and how to get politicians, the police and other community members committed to helping street children access their rights.
This course is freely available to our global network and helps participants navigate legal and political systems and help street children access services such as healthcare, education and justice. 45 practitioners have already taken part. One participant from Tanzania told us: ‘The language used to explain the international framework around human rights & children’s rights was simple to understand even for someone without a legal background.”
3. Training trainers
Some organisations working with street children cannot access the internet and we also want to reach them and equip them to be strong advocates for change. Our new Training of Trainer sessions help to transfer knowledge to local organisations and increase our impact.
We have held three sessions which has already supported the training of a network of organisations working with street children in the Congo. The sessions covered how to identify key issues street children face, such as lack of birth registration that prevents them from accessing services; identify who can address the issue; and how to deliver strong messages to influence decisions. We also raise awareness of UN guidelines on what organisations and governments should do to treat street children equally to other citizens. A further 15 training sessions are planned, which will reach up to 75 participants.
Thank you for making this important work possible. The impact of your support will be far reaching, will help to raise awareness of the challenges street children face and the services and support they need to lead healthier and happier lives.