In the metropolis of Kinshasa, the Guanellians run five centers for abandoned minors. Faced with enormous problems, there is a great desire to welcome them.
these children
by Father Gabriel Kawanda Mboma
LThe large city of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, experiences an extremely serious phenomenon: that of so-called "street children," which according to recent estimates affects 20 to 30 minors. Multiple causes have generated this social tragedy, but they all have their roots in the extreme poverty that affects many families. Unable to feed all their children (it should be remembered that 80% of the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo lives on less than two euros a day), they end up abandoning their youngest children.
The Guanellians, to the best of their ability and inspired by their founder, Saint Luigi Guanella, have addressed this grave problem and organized the Œuvre de Suivi, d'Education et de Protection des Enfants de la Rue (Organization for the Monitoring, Education, and Protection of Street Children - OSEPER). This organization operates in four municipalities of the city—Matete, Lemba, Maluku, and Limete—and aims to rehabilitate street children and youth (both boys and girls). Four of these centers are residential facilities: one for girls, two for boys, and one for children with intellectual disabilities. Finally, the fifth provides day care for girls and boys.
In these centers, the Guanellians try to meet the "street children" in the environments where they live a life of neglect and provide some basic healthcare when necessary. They then try to encourage them to return to their families or direct them to reception centers, where they can receive more comprehensive support. Often, the situation of these minors is dire, and they are victims of abuse at night.
To achieve these goals, the primary focus is on the immediate protection of street children. A mobile team, consisting of an ambulance with medical personnel and educational support officers, visits listening points at city markets and invites the children to the first aid center in Matete, called "Point d'Eau." It can accommodate over 150 minors, both male and female, and they receive nighttime shelter and access to toilets, as well as a daily meal and medical care. At "Point d'Eau," educational activities are offered, but above all, personal listening and dialogue are provided.
A second goal is education. Children are encouraged to attend the neighborhood school and participate in educational activities for their mental development. If the child is fifteen years old and has a level of education equivalent to the first years of elementary school, they are directed to an apprenticeship at the Vocational Training Center, run by the Guanellians in Limete, where courses in bread-making, cutting, and sewing are offered.
However, it must be recognized that family reunification is often neither easy nor lasting, and the risk of a child returning to the streets is high. For this reason, OSEPER staff must frequently visit children at their homes and maintain contact with them for periods ranging from a few months to several years. If family reunification is no longer possible, young people who reach adulthood complete their apprenticeship and are then placed on an independent path.
The Guanellian Centers, in the spirit of their founder, Saint Luigi Guanella, also care for children with intellectual disabilities, whose families are often impossible to trace. A specialized center has been established for them on the Bateké plateau, outside the city of Kinshasa. There, a large farm provides care, education, and rehabilitation in a peaceful and safe environment.
It's easy to imagine the enormous challenges we face in implementing our activities. Every day, staff must contend with enormous instability among the children and youth who flock to the Point d'Eau Reception Center, despite efforts to help them change their behavior. Adding to this instability are daily attacks by young people known as "kuluna" (street gangs).
Economic challenges sometimes jeopardize the extensive recovery efforts underway. First, there is the inability to support the children's families in carrying out reintegration projects. Then there are rising transportation costs and interruptions to operations due to heavy traffic. The Democratic Republic of the Congo suffers from endemic inflation of the Congolese franc, which causes uncontrolled exchange rate fluctuations and thus skyrocketing prices.
Added to these difficulties are contingent problems that the Centers periodically encounter. It is not uncommon to experience shortages of medications for specific supplementary treatments, both those provided by the mobile team and those administered in the Centers' small clinics. Occasionally, technical problems arise, such as the frequent breakdown of the ambulance, preventing the team from meeting intervention and service schedules. Some children are even unable to be reunited with their families in remote provinces due to a lack of travel funds.
These difficulties seem great, but equally strong is the Guanellian ideal which cries out with the same voice as Saint Luigi Guanella: «We cannot stop as long as there are poor people to be helped in the Congo.