By Prince J Musa in Kenema
As part of complementing government’s intervention in addressing causes of having street children, a non- governmental organization Future Focus Foundation with funds from Red Norse Day based in USA has presented 41 million Leones to 45 parents of street children in Kenema.
Addressing parents and the children, the National Team Leader Future Focus Foundation, Sylvester Sidie Kallon disclosed that the grant was to ensure that parents of those street children are able to use the money to get them off the streets.
He spoke about a survey by Street- Child and the Ministry of Social Welfare which attributed reasons for children living in the street, to poverty and lack of food and also instances of some children running from home out of fear of beatings for losing money whilst selling sachet water or firewood.
He said it was against these circumstances that small grants have been made available to address their needs.
“If a child becomes hungry and is not provided food at home, they will go to the street’’, he said.
He added that they decided to give parents of the children the funds so they could be able to provide food for them because the wet feeding program which they implemented for four months, was not realistic enough.
He said prior to closing down the feeding exercise, the foundation was able through their donor partners Red Norse Day to provide food items such as rice, cooking oil, and other condiments as well as face masks and other covid-19 preventive materials. “Each parent is benefiting from seven hundred thousand Leones (Le 700,000) as a grant’’, he said.
The Assistant Deputy Director Ministry of Social Welfare East, Haja Alice Jeneba Koroma thanked Future Focus Foundation for the support given to parents of those children. She stated that any activity that stands to remove children from the street back home is very important.
“This money is not meant to buy dresses for marriages or parties but to support the children so parents bear that in mind’’, she cautioned. She told the parents that they are expected within three months to buy all items needed to do their business and after that, they should be able to start saving some amount that will keep the home going.
One of the beneficiaries, Jattu Koroma from Burma section thanked the organization that she said was the first to support their children and therefore advised her colleague parents to judiciously use the money as expected. She said some of them have lost their husbands and as bread winners are finding it difficult to support their children. She assured the foundation of their determination to do their best in educating their children.
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