* The number of street kids has risen, hence we have put in place measures to patrol streets in town
* Guardians will be held irresponsible for their children’s nuisance in the streets
By Thank Falliot, MANA
Limbe Police has assured the public that the law enforcers will continue patrolling streets to deal with street-connected children attacks and other crimes in Limbe.
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In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, public relations officer, Aubrey Singanyama said there is public concern over insecurity in the streets of Limbe and Blantyre caused by street urchins that needs police interventions.
“The number of street kids has risen, hence we have put in place measures to patrol streets in town,” he said, while assuring the public that they will continue carrying out sweeping exercises to apprehend the street-connected children and take them to their respective homes.
He added that guardians will be held irresponsible for their children’s nuisance in the streets and he asked the public that if they experience a problem either being attacked by street kids or robbers should report to police immediately for swift action.
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In a separate interview, chief executive director for Step Kids Awareness (STEKA), Godknows Maseko said currently his organisation is working together with the Blantyre City Council and other partners through Ministry of Gender, Community Development & Social Welfare to find ways of removing street-connected children to their homes and other correctional institutions.
“So far the operation has started and most of the children have been withdrawn from the street and allocated in our blocks for accommodation and also tracing strategy is set to avoid other children that might be sent by the guardians pretending that they are street kids,” Maseko said.
He disclosed that STEKA has been interviewing children to record their personal details including names, home, age, district of origin to confirm their status whether they are homeless or not.
“We refer children who are pretending as street kids to social welfare office so that the office should send them back to their homes,” he said.
Of late, people in Blantyre and Limbe have come face to face with gangs of street-connected children carrying knives and other piercing objects to rob them of cash and other valuable items in the late afternoons, evenings and in some instances during daylight.
Founded in 2007 by Godknows and his wife Helen, STEKA’s goal is to remove children from the streets to protect them from abuse they faced and the poverty they lived with on the streets of Malawi.
STEKA is a family home for very vulnerable children rescued from living alone on the streets of Blantyre or from abusive situations and are given an education ensuring that girls receive an equal education and opportunities as the boys.
STEKA is not an ‘orphanage’ nor an ‘institution’ but a loving family as the children are brought by social services or the police and once they indicate their intention of staying for good, the home makes sure that all their new children who don’t know their biological parents adopt their surname of Maseko.
“They call us mum and dad and for children still in contact with biological parents, we become aunt and uncle,” he had said in an earlier interview with Maravi Express. “As a family, we all work together to support each other with everyone helping with chores and older children helping support the little ones.”
Feeding, clothing and educating such a large family isn’t easy, but the resourceful STEKA family — that operates with nine trustees and full-time staff members who work as volunteers — runs a variety of enterprises to bring in funds.
Helen is Montessori trained and, assisted by volunteers, runs a nursery school in the mornings when STEKA children go to school. They also raise chickens and run tailoring, upholstery and tourism initiatives to help sustain their STEKA home at Nyambadwe in Blantyre.
All the children are brought up to value their rights and themselves; in particular girls’ rights to equality and to resist early marriage.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
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