AFRICA - Reception centers for 4,000 street children in the Sahel

Segou (Agenzia Fides) - Every day, in order to survive, thousands of children are forced to beg on the streets. To cope with this latest emergency affecting the African continent, and to try to help vulnerable children, Caritas Spain, together with local partners, has relied on two centers of support which have existed for years in the city of Segou, Mali, and Saint Louis, in Senegal. The common objective of both projects are the total protection of the rights and reintegration of street children into their families and society. In these centers the young receive medical care, food and education. Moreover, the two shelters work with local communities to raise awareness against child abandonment and, above all, to prevent their exploitation and to protect their rights. The center of Segou, for the next 3 years, will provide for the reception of more than 1,500 children as well as 85 other which assist them within their families. The Saint Louis will provide for school education, medical care and social and family reintegration of about 2,500 children. Throughout the world, according to the latest UN statistics, there are about 150 million children living on the streets of many cities in 5 continents. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 22/04/2013)