Children are Zambia's Future ...
The Anglican Street Children's Programme in Zambia was set up to nurture and empower orphans as well as vulnerable children and families for a brighter future.
The project aims to bring children back into the education system and away from child labour and a life on the streets. We have set up transitional schools to help young children adjust to a more normal life so that when they move back into full-time education, they can integrate more easily. By doing this, we also recognise that the families and guardians of these children need to find other sources of legitimate income in order to continue to support their families now that the children are no longer working, so we have set up projects throughout Zambia to help and encourage them to help themselves to make a living.
'Street kids' deserve a chance....
We want them to be able to smile again.
Everyday life for many children...
Life is difficult for many Zambians and a new population of 'street kids' has emerged, who live in roadside sewers and on middle-of-the-road dividers in urban centres. Many children never go to school and instead spend their days on the streets, living in desperate poverty, with no opportunity for learning to read and write in school.
HIV/Aids – its effect on chlldren's lives
HIV/Aids has had a huge effect on the daily lives of Zambian people. More than one in seven Zambian adults is infected and the disease has claimed enough lives to leave many children orphaned or living with relations or a guardian. These adopted families often find it hard enough to feed themselves, let alone an extra mouth or two, so the children are sent out to work - perhaps selling nuts on street corners, perhaps breaking stones day after day in the quarry. These children very little to laugh about and their short lives are filled with sadness, anxiety, fear, instablility and loss of confidence, interspersed with periods of hope and happiness.