Children’s Town in Malambanyama

Children’s Town in Malambanyama, Zambia

Street children are children who depend on the streets for their survival. Most of them come from broken homes or are orphaned. They live in poverty and are often subjected to abuse of different kinds. On the streets, they turn to petty theft, begging, or doing odd jobs to earn some money

In the Children’s Town in Malambanyama in  Zambia, children are given a second chance to build a better life for themselves.

 

Addressing streetism

Living your life on the streets, with no adult love, care or protection is probably one of the most harrowing experiences a child can face. Street children constantly struggle to find food and shelter.  It is also hard for them to get other basic needs met – clothes, medication, and not to mention education. Meanwhile, they are in constant danger of abuse and exploitation. Many are being recruited into gangs where they can enjoy a minimum of security. However, living life in a gang also means exposure to criminal behaviour, violence, drugs and diseases.

To address the issue of “streetism”, DAPP Zambia established Children’s Town in 1992. The idea was to get children off the street and provide a safe space for them in the countryside, where they were given the opportunity of a new start, through rehabilitation and training with the support of caring teachers.

A new start in safe surroundings

Currently, around 80 children have their homes in the Children’s Town. They are organised in family groups and participate in the daily running of the centre, while they learn life skills and social skills. They go to school to receive academic and vocational training and when they have completed the programme they are supported to reintegrate into their communities.

The Children’s Town also runs a primary school for children in the surrounding villages. The school practices a unique children-centred pedagogy, and the learners enjoy a programme with both practical and theoretical activities. Around 500 pupils attend the school which caters for children of pre-school age up to Grade 9. The school has become a centre for sustainable development through its active engagement with the surrounding communities.

Volunteering in Children’s Town

Nadia and Giovanna from DRH Lindersvold are volunteering for six months in the Children’s Town, where they assist the professional staff with a variety of tasks. Initially, they have spent time in the different activity areas of teaching and learning, to understand how everything works. Next, they will identify how they can contribute to the programmes in the best way and in cooperation with the project leader.

How can you contribute?

By participating in the 10-month Volunteer for Change programme run by DRH Lindersvold you can support the efforts of community-based projects in either Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, or India (depending on the pandemic situation and other external factors beyond our control.)

Here, you and your team are hosted by an NGO under the Humana People to People umbrella. You are connected to a long-term community project to do with Health, Education, Agriculture, Community Development or Environment.

As volunteers, you contribute to these sustainable development programmes in different ways, depending on what is needed and with the overarching aim of learning from the communities and their situation in the global reality, while you contribute to the project with your skills and experience.

Apart from experiencing learning and working together in a “people to people” way, you strengthen your personal and social skills when you immerse yourself in a Malawian, Zambian or Indian community. You will probably learn more than you can imagine.

Read more about the programme here.