Struggling to find the perfect present this Christmas?
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Struggling to find the perfect present this Christmas? /11.03 Give a drum Traditionally, drums were used to herald leaders, and encourage bravery in warriors. But now through Christian Aid’s partner the ‘Youth Cultural Information Centre’ (YCIC) drums are being used in a very different way. YCIC is using drums to build self-esteem amongst disadvantaged young people living on the streets of Dar es Salaam. No one really knows how many street children there are in Tanzania, but there are an estimated 3,000 children living on the streets of the capital alone. Poverty, compounded by the AIDS epidemic, has put a strain on family relationships. Facing conflict and abuse at home, children as young as four are being drawn to the bright lights of the big cities. Children often leave their homes in the countryside, too, hoping they will be able to find work and send money back to their families. Like the homeless all over the world, they soon find the streets are not paved with gold. Once there, children have to find the basics for survival. At night, many sleep in abandoned houses, derelict vehicles, or under street culverts. By day many turn to washing cars, begging, thieving or even prostitution to obtain food. Since Tanzanian law forbids loitering, some children sleep standing up for fear of being picked up by the police. Life on the streets creates hatred towards the society that has rejected them. Street children need to be reunited with their families, and reintegrated into society itself. YCIC is working to build their self-esteem through drumming and acrobatic programmes run at their two drop-in centres in Dar es Salaam. They also provide funds for training and education. ‘Drums are used to refresh the minds of street children and to help integrate them into the community,’ says Franco one of the co founders of YCIC. Aidani Komba is one of Tanzania’s street children. At 16 he ran away from home when his father began drinking and became violent. He soon found himself sleeping outside the post office in Dar es Salaam. Earning a mere 300 Tanzanian shillings (20 pence) for washing a car he was only able to buy a plate of chips, a coke or a bottle of water each day. One night Aidani was taken to the police station and kept there for four days. Fortunately, his uncle found him and took him home. There he found out about YCIC. He was counselled by their social workers, and then taught how to play the drum and perform acrobatics. YCIC also paid for driving lessons so he could earn himself a living. Today Aidani is himself a volunteer teacher with YCIC. Every afternoon he works with children from a squatter settlement, teaching acrobatics and drumming. In August 2003 he travelled to Greenbelt to share his story with young people in the UK and perform acrobatics with his friend Ernest. He encourages children to: ‘Take control of your life. Go and do what makes you happy.’ To YCIC he says: ‘Thank you for your help. I hope you will continue to help children like me.’ To Christian Aid he says: ‘Do not stop raising money for us. Your money is used to help change lives.’ He really wants to have his school fees paid like Ernest has - it’s his dream. Why not buy a drum this Christmas? Put a smile on the face of one of Tanzania’s street children and give hope. |
