(Emily Bamford, UNICEF) Walking through the Central African Republic capital, it is impossible to miss the large number of children present on the street. Weaving in and amongst the street vendors, taxis and commuters, dozens of children can be seen working, begging and playing around the town centre. For some this is just a way of passing the day, a way of earning money and supporting a family back home. For many however, this is their home.

Whilst easily noticeable during the day, it is only when the sun begins to set on Bangui’s dusty streets that the children become most visible. As darkness falls, the colourful and bustling city turns into darker and more dangerous place – not somewhere for “regular children” to be. But maybe these children are different to their peers. On the surface they can be seen laughing, joking, and playing like any other child. In reality however most of these children are older beyond their years.

Life on the street is tough and forces children to grow up fast, quickly developing the skills and ingenuity needed to survive. Many support dependents, either in the form of siblings or younger children within their tightly-knit peer group, something which provides a support network and surrogate family for many. This a far cry from the image of intense vulnerability portrayed by the western media. Although life on the street is difficult, a constant struggle, these children are surviving, albeit just.

Despite their resilience, food is difficult to obtain and without money, medical care and schooling is almost impossible. Poverty and the stigma surrounding such children, means many are turned away from schools and hospitals and are thus deprived of their right to health and education. Without education and basic training, future prospects for these children remain bleak.

Help is at hand however, in the form of Beatrice Epaye. In 1994, Beatrice, a former government minister from northern CAR decided it was time that someone addressed the growing plight of Bangui’s street children. The Voix du Coeur Centre provides accommodation, regular meals, medical care, basic training and education to some of CAR’s most vulnerable children. The project also provides micro-credit to build on existing survival strategies, helping youths develop their own enterprises and support themselves. In addition the Centre aims to prevent family breakdown, for example through advocacy, the provision of antiretroviral drugs to HIV positive parents and children. They also assist with family reunification.

The centre originally started out as home for abandoned and/or children fleeing violence at home which was, at the time, the main reason for children living on the streets. However, over the past decade, Beatrice has noticed a change. “The main reason now is poverty, lack of money puts an enormous stress on the family, which in many cases, leads to its breakdown” she tells us.

Mathieu aged 4, is one of the centres youngest occupants. After his mother left, his father’s unemployment meant that he was unable to support his son. With few other options available to him, he turned to a life of crime. The father has since been arrested, and without any other relatives, Mathieu was forced onto the streets. When asked about his father, Mathieu shyly whispers “I miss my father very much.”

Beatrice also cites a poor and expensive education system, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the displacement caused by conflict in northern CAR as the main reasons behind the recent surge in street children. Another disturbing trend has been the increase in children claiming they have been beaten and abandoned because their families believe they are witches, a problem also currently being experienced in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This event is often triggered by a death of a family member, or some other “bad luck” which is subsequently blamed on the child. The resulting poverty can also be used to convict children of sorcery and justify beatings and exorcism.

Armand, aged 11 described how after his father left the family, his mother (now single and under intense pressure to provide for her family), became violent and was convinced her son was a witch. He thus moved to Bangui to live with his uncle, who after a while, also began to believe the same thing - he began beating him regularly. As a result, Armand turned to a life on the streets.

Both Mathieu and Armand are now amongst the 60 children who reside at the Centre. Last year the Voix du Coeur assisted 2,500 of Bangui’s estimated 3,000 street children. Beatrice modestly admits that the centre is “just a small drop in the ocean,” UNICEF believes however, that lots of small drops can lead to big waves. This is the reason they have chosen to support Beatrice, for example through their provision of medical and school supplies.

UNICEF is also helping to provide support to vulnerable children throughout across the country in the form of health and nutritional services, HIV/AIDS prevention and education in an effort to prevent family breakdown in the future.

For more information on UNICEF’s activities in the Central African Republic contact:

Anne Boher
Communications Officer
UNICEF CAR
Email aboher@unicef.org | Mobile +236 75 58 96 01