I am a former street child, now leading a team of former street children committed to changing the way society
understands
and
addresses the issue in South Africa. Being a street child is a painful experience. Homeless children is a growing crisis in South Africa. Many of the "new arrivals" on the streets are affected by HIV/Aids. Street life is tough and children live at great risk of being infected with HIV.
Abuse on the streets is rife, prostitution and rape is common place and sniffing glue is used as a way of escaping the fear and pain of that lifestyle. 2010 will see a showdown. Without new strategies to address the issue there will be a huge increase in street children to levels previously unimaginable due to the Aids orphan crisis.
Yet, even now, tremendous pressure is on the authorities to clean up the cities of street children for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. How will this be done? The World Cup could be a nightmare for street children.
Bulelwa Ngantweni-Hewitt, Durban South Africa – BBC NEWS - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4638415.stm
As Christmas draws nearer, it is once again time to think also of those in need and much less fortunate than ourselves. Nono and Tanya, councilors and community workers for the West Rand will once again be hosting some more Christmas parties. This will be for the children from shelters, under bridges and shacks that we are continuously finding and trying to assist/ provide the proper care, shelter and education for them as we precede every year. The other children will be those of the ‘’Sparrow Aids Village’’.
Pictures of our prior events can be viewed on facebook, Tanya Williams South Africa, album name ‘’MY DAYS WITH THE ORPHANS’’. We try our best in making it a glorious event for the children to keep it in their little hearts as very memorable. For 2008, with God’s blessings, we were sponsored with t-shirts from Clover, some children were dressed in mielie meal bags as they had no proper attire (if any) to be playing in the park we provided for them (Florida Lake Playing grounds and park).
We have now been blessed by St. Peters church in Krugersdorp wit a venue. On the 1st December (World Aids Day).
We have only a few weeks to go and are now calling out to you, our fellow colleagues, friends, family, associates to please open your hearts and sponsor our 2 events that will be held on the 27 November 2009 and on the 1st December 2009. Anything ranging from toys, clothing, books, popcorn seeds, oil, sweets, face paint, other luxury, jumping castle, blankets etc… we would very much appreciate your donation as the smiles on their little faces on this day shows NOTHING compared to the lives they lead at home (if any). We do not have much time to gather too many preps and props, please, we humbly ask if you could do you donations/ drop offs at your soonest?
DONATION CONTACTS (community builders/ counselors) :
West.panthers@gmail.com
TANYA: 0790909917
NONO: 0732409878
DROP OFFS CAN BE MADE AT:
4 DOLPHIN COVE
C/O HULL AND 1ST STREET
FLORIDA
ROODEPOORT
1709
BLESSINGS:
TANYA AND NONO