What’s the goal?

Today, a hundred million children and young people are living on the streets around the world.  Typically, hunger, violence and poverty drive children to the streets and hunger, violence and poverty meet them there.

Life on the streets can be devastating and traumatic.  Street children are at risk from sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation. Abuse and disease are ever present.  Substance abuse, in particular sniffing glue is prevalent and used as a way to escape the harsh realities of street life. Some children are forced to turn to crime, and every year many lose their lives.

There are many fantastic organisations working with street children all over the world, giving them new hope and direction. Arts programmes allow children to escape the realities of life on the street, reflect on their experiences and find the strength to change their situation. Allowing children to think and act creatively gives them the opportunity to truly behave like children and have fun; something they are denied on the streets. We hope that our arts programme has given the teams a way of expressing themselves and showing the world what they are capable of.

To genuinely improve the situation for street children, they need to make their voices heard. The arts exhibition that run from March to July 2010 at the Durban Arts Gallery has given the street children a chance to be centre stage. Teh exhibtion was opened by Albie Sachs on South African Human Rights Day and saw in excess of 200 visitors on its first night. Art works expired by the Deloitte Street Child World Cup are on display until October 9th at the Foundling Museum in London. Experiencing the art and hearing the stories will contribute to changing public perception of street children, ensuring that our impact continues long after the World Cup has finished.