From a very young age, street children are immersed in a reality that is beyond their comprehension, but also beyond ours.
According to a United Nations report, the living conditions and violence faced by street children in Kinshasa are unimaginable. According to the report, they are a ticking time bomb... Faced with this problem, remaining inactive is not an option! The Louvain Coopération pilot project will be carried out in Kinshasa, where it is estimated that there are more than 25,000 street children. Over a period of three years, 250 children aged between 6 and 18 will be taken into care and supported in their psychosocial rehabilitation. The project guarantees assistance with the basic social and health needs of street children, while at the same time developing a different and innovative approach through the strengthening of psychosocial bonds.
The importance of psychosocial bonds.
To help these children escape the hell of the streets, it is essential to take into account their psychological suffering and trauma. If this suffering is not addressed, it becomes difficult to envisage comprehensive care and the possibility of rehabilitation. Children must regain some self-confidence before they can be reintegrated into their social and family circles.
This project was made possible thanks to a unique partnership between the Monsengwo Foundation, the Leysen family of the Van Breda company, the Entrepreneurs pour Entrepreneurs association and Louvain Coopération. The three-year pilot project started in April and is currently working with a Kinshasa-based care institution, the ORPER association. During the project, other donors who are sensitive to this issue will be contacted in order to increase the number of children benefiting from the project and to involve other care institutions. Locally, it is also essential to raise awareness among these care institutions of the need to listen to and consider the needs of these children who have had a difficult past. This is one of the essential conditions for getting them off the streets for good.