1. Situations of Street Girls in Ethiopia
&
The practical experience of
Organization for Prevention, Rehabilitation and Integration of Female Street Children (OPRIFS)
April ,2009
SPAIN

2. 1. Street children
Street children is a term used to refer to children who live/work on the streets of a city (Consortium for Street Children UK)
- They are deprived of family care & protection.
- Most children on the streets are between the
ages of about 5 and 17 years old
- According to UNICEF they are classified
“On the street” children
&
“Of the street “children

3. Causes Children may end up on the streets for several basic reasons:
- They may have no choice. They are
abandoned, orphaned, or thrown out of
their homes.
- Secondly, they may choose to live in the
streets because of mistreatment or
neglect or because their homes do not
or cannot provide them with basic necessities

4. Causes cont…
Many children also work on the streets because their earnings are needed by their families.
But homes and families are part of the larger society and the underlying reasons for the poverty or breakdown of homes and families due to social, economic, political or environmental or any combination of these.

5. Causes cont…
According WHO report 1993 the following are list of causes :
family breakdown
armed conflict
poverty
natural and man-made disasters
famine
physical and sexual abuse
exploitation by adults
dislocation through migration
urbanization and overcrowding
acculturation
Family death due to HIV/AIDS is another cause that might be added to this list.

6. where OPRIFS usually operating.
Str. Chi. Cont…
“As more and more parents die, the capacity of the extended family to take care of orphans becomes smaller and smaller”. (UNICEF Representative)
Further more the complex socioeconomic problem aggravates the problem especially for the poor families
where OPRIFS usually operating.

7. problems forces the girl child to go out to street life
Str. Chi. Cont…
In general speaking the cumulative effect /the pull and push factors like:-
- early marriage
- rural urban migration
- being orphan
- family conflict
- employee –child conflict
- peer pressure and other
problems forces the girl child to go out to street life

8. 2. Street Children in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the most populous and least developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
There are an estimated 60,000 street children in Addis Ababa and 150,000 nationwide (UNICEF, 1994).
Street children are continuously exposed to various forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation.
They do not have access to basic rights such as access to proper care, education, psychological support
The rural girls are suffering of arranged/forced marriage

9. 3 .Experience of OPRIFS
OPRIFS is a legally registered local NGO(2000) exists :
To improve the Livelihood of abused and vulnerable Female Street Children through Prevention, Rehabilitation, Reintegration
and family Empowerment.

10. 3.1.Operational Areas of OPRIFS
Reunification Coverage
All over the country

12. 3.2.Program components
a) Protection, Rehabilitation & Reintegration of trafficked/abused and exploited female children
b) Protection & Prevention of vulnerable /working children
c)Working with parents, community (SHG, CC, neighborhood group)
d) Capacity Building (CBOs, CBCPU)
e) Networking and Partnership

13. a) Safe home service Lucky to be accompany by a
trained bus station worker
Wondering at the bus station
Bus station workers are identifying any suspects of trafficked children and refer to CPU then to OPRIFS
Criteria for admission at OPRIFS shelter:- the child has to be female aged 7-18 and abused

14. The Key activity in the TSH
Rehabilitation
Guidance and Counseling (group and individual)
Play and Recreation
Life skill training
Vocational skill training
Drama, Art and music Therapy
Self expression and discussions
System of carrying responsibilities with rewarding
( Safe home committee Saturday mediating)

15. Art Therapy

16. Music Therapy

17. Life Skill Training

18. Drama

19. Sport and Recreation

20. Play and Recreation

21. Protection, Rehabilitation & reintegration of trafficked/abused and exploited FSC
Target Group
- Sexually abused
- Physically abused
Rural urban migrated
- Emotionally abused

22. Reunification

23. Working with police
local authorities
CPU and others
Reunification

24. b) Protection and Prevention of vulnerable FSC
Assist children from school drop out ( regular school)
- School Material
- Tutor & Library
- Including Guidance and counseling
- Life skill training
- Education on RH and HIV/AIDS
- Peer education & support girls clubs
Marketable vocational skill training
Facilitate ABE
Small scale capacity improvements to
government school.
Strengthen the participation of parents
through parents’ committee

25. Life Skill training
Vocational skill
Marketable Vocational Training

26. Alternative Basic Education

27. c) Working with SHG/CLA
Why we organize SHG/CLAs’?
-to reach vulnerable children
Who are these people?
- poor women who are struggling to Survive
(to feed their family, send children to school and
fulfill basic necessities)
How we select and organize ?
by using PRA techniques a homogeneous
groups will be selected and organized.

28. SHG cont…
It is purely a women Self Help Group who have a common interest and socio economic status
A series of trainings will be given to the women that helps to realize their potential and enable them to work on their problems
The whole exercise focuses to empower the members economically, socially & politically

29. SHG members weekly meeting
In the past 2 years:
- 1,050 women organized
under 69 SHG/6 CLA
- 1,414 under 18 children reached
- Trained on
- Gender, RH, HIV/AIDS,
parenting skill etc.
- saving, BBS,BBP,
leadership etc.
- Active involvement in
- family/neighborhood
/community conversation
Campaigns

30. Neighborhood conversation

31. SHG member in cleaning campaigns
Stop gender based violence/ a reaction against the death of a 13 year girl after being raped
SHG member in cleaning campaigns

32. SHG members are playing an active role in educating the community & preventing children from going out to street
CBCCP committee
Community Awareness

33. d) Capacity Building to CBOs, CBCCPc
CBCCP on capacity building training CBCCP on experience sharing visit

34. e) Networking and Partnership
Informal
- Community
- CBOs (Idir, CBCPU)
- GO & NGO
- Women’s Affairs Office
- Police
- Non- Governmental Organization
Formal
- Two in process

35. Over all Accomplishment
Since its establishment about 4333 FSC benefited :-
- Among these, 1659 are abused female children protected and prevented from further abuse in the shelter.
reunified
- 54 children transferred to other org.
In the past two years 5 abusers sentenced from18 months to 18 years and 3 cases group case) found difficult to proceed with the trail because of lack of /weak evidence
( legal case remain OPRIFS challenge)

36. Over all achievement cont…
vulnerable children have got education support
(715 in regular 500 in ABE)
- 90 trained in vocational skill training & 85 are self reliant
- 12 school clubs were strengthened

37. Best Practice Children’s participation in exercising responsibilities
Program integration and linkage of prevention program with parents, CBOs and most importantly SHG(women groups)
Community involvement in tracing and reunification
High cooperation of formal and informal networks such as police, community, civil servants
Recognition of SHG by the community and local authorities
Active involvement of SHG members in prevention program
The new initiative of Community Based Child Care & Protection

38. Challenges Capacity limitation
- Financial capacity which relate with HR and other technical issues
- Current economic situation
Limitation of legal frame work for SHG to be recognized at higher level
Safe home activity is costly (requires qualified workers which is expensive )
Tracing , reunification and follow up is challenging and costly

39. THANK YOU