Lately I've been thinking a lot about things from his perspective. It's been easy to wonder and obsess about how this decision is going to impact us. Our family talks quite a bit now about "when Abraham comes home" and we consider and make plans for the future. Those who are skeptical look on and worry for us and our future. It seems almost innate to think about ourselves and to ignore the perspective of this child who has already lived for almost 14 years. We don't know much about his history and the history that we do know, we will most likely allow him to make the decision of whether and how much he wants to share with others. It's his story to tell, and we hope he will trust us with the details over time. I have no doubt that his life has been hard by our culture's standards and that he has probably suffered more hardship and loss than many people will in a lifetime. Certainly no child should have to endure what he has endured. He is a victim of circumstances that are beyond his ability as a child to control.
When we were in Ethiopia, we looked into the eyes of hundreds of children living on the streets. It was overwhelming, and I wanted to know their stories and why???-- how did they end up where they were? where were their parents? where was their next meal coming from? where would they sleep? what kind of future did they have? who loved them? Westerners often are annoyed by children begging for money or selling packs of gum. We tend to avoid eye contact and to clutch our purses and wallets a little tighter when we see them. When we go to "tropical beaches", we try to avoid the impoverished areas that make us feel uncomfortable and unsafe, especially when we're there for "vacation." Whether in Philadelphia or Addis Ababa, we have a general sense of distrust of children who have "unknown" backgrounds. And this is often merited as they've had to learn survival skills and street smarts to make it through each day. Rather than viewing ourselves as targets, however, have we ever stopped to view ourselves as solutions? I've been reading a lot about "street children" and it is hard and scary to read the information. BUT, when you get to know an individual child apart from their stereotype, you see the stereotype for what it is: a consequence of lack of care, love, and FAMILY. A consequence of our fear that further marginalizes instead of initiating love. Below I've included some information from a study that I read. The information will most likely scare you (for us possibly) and depress you as it's truly a sad and seemingly hopeless reality that these children face EVERYDAY. Our turning a blind eye only reinforces the problem and the stigma that these children face.
I was completely overwhelmed by the multitude of kids in Ethiopia that swarmed our vans and that were desperate for attention. I can see how people become numb to it because it is so heartbreakingly common. Yet each of those children looked up at us with hope in their eyes and belief in their hearts that we could help them. Help to them was a few coins or a granola bar in their palm, but they reacted with joy and appreciation for those seemingly pitiful gestures of love and validation. But there were so many... I hope you might read the research below and watch the video perspectives, and in doing so that your heart might soften to the INDIVIDUAL children that live this reality through no fault of their own...
What are Street Children?
That street children are a heterogeneous population was noted very early in the literature. For example, Unicef (1984) describes three main categories: children at risk, children of the street and children on the street. The largest group in this typology is the “children at risk” category. These are the children of the urban poor and they form the reservoir from which street children emerge. “Children on the street” come to the streets to work in order to supplement their families’ income, and they will return home to their families at night-time. A significant number attend school on a part time basis. Worldwide, these children perform similar tasks - they shine shoes, wash and mind cars, sell lottery tickets, magazines and newspapers, carry goods and peddle cigarettes and chewing gum. Extreme poverty has forced them to become at least partially self-supporting.
For “children of the streets”, the street is their main living place. Family ties may exist but are remote and their former home is visited infrequently. A sub-category of street child in the Unicef
typology is that of “abandoned children”. This category includes orphans, runaways, refugees and others who have no contact with significant carers. In terms of lifestyle and daily activities, abandoned children are very similar to children of the street. They are distinguishable in that all ties with family have been severed, either through death, displacement or abandonment. Children of the street, on the other hand, have occasional contacts with their families. Of all street children, the category of the street and abandoned is the smallest. Only an estimated 5% to 10% of street children belong to this group of children of the street. These children are more likely to make their livelihood by illegal means:
“They become premature adults and develop behavior patterns which can be summarized in a rejection of authority, aggressiveness, an absence of limits, independence and a lack of affection. They are also ... characterized by problems with drug addiction, alcoholism, delinquency, prostitution and moral and physical abuse” (Unicef, 1984).
The majority of street children worldwide are aged between ten and fourteen years. Before age ten, parents appear to be loath to allow the child to enter the harsh world of the street. Also, children younger than ten are not as capable of competing for the kind of work street children do. Once engaged in street life, the child’s street “career” is often terminated by his or her changing appearance, as he/she grows older. By about fourteen or fifteen years of age, adolescents are beginning to lose their appeal to passers-by. This is particularly true for those who survive by begging:
“Before that time [adolescence], the children were considered cute, which contributed to their success at begging for alms. But as they grew, the image changed; they were then perceived as thugs and treated accordingly. When the street children reached puberty, they became street people."
Thus, the age profile of street children appears to be a function of the nature of the demands of street life. In Ethiopia, it is estimated that approximately half of all street children are less than twelve years of age. The average age of initiation to street life is approximately eleven years (Unicef, 1993). As in many developing countries, children under sixteen years constitute 50% of the entire population.
"The biggest challenge to improving the lives of Ethiopia's street children is getting them to believe that a better life is possible."
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
ZEWDU the street child. from Enrico Parenti, Takae film on Vimeo.
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