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Acknowledging the Plight of Street Children Everywhere

  • kimbilious
  • 6 days ago
  • 2 min read

Today is International Day for Street Children. Today, we recognize that millions of children around the world live and work on the streets, where poverty, violence and exploitation are prevalent. We call on governments and individuals to meet the needs of these children -- they are resilient; their situations, desperate. They deserve so much more than what life has dealt them. Finally, we thank those whose missions and voices focus on improving the lives of street children globally -- Consortium for Street Children, The international Bureau of Children's Rights and Street Child among them.


When it comes to boots on the ground, we are so proud and thankful to our partner in the DR Congo: Kimbilio. Every day, the Kimbilio team is relentless in helping the children on the streets in their base city of Lubumbashi. They take a holistic view of the children's needs and support them in their pursuit of a better future. No two children are alike, and each street child's circumstances are different. It's in Kimbilio's DNA to look closely at the individual child to determine the path forward. And their approach works!


For International Day for Street Children, we'd like to introduce you to one of the street children whose lives have turned around with the support of Kimbilio. We are currently fundraising for International Day for Street Children, and hope you'll offer your support to the critical work that Kimbilio does.


Lucie is now 11 years old. She ended up living on the streets when she was 7. She had a very troubled relationship with her stepmother. One day, while her father was out of town, she got into a fight with her half sister. Her stepmother took her biological daughter's side, and Lucie took to the streets. Thankfully, other street girls brought Lucie to the Kimbilio day center, where Kimbilio's first interactions with street children often occur. The staff recall that poor Lucie was so young and frightened, she wouldn't speak. At that point, she was tranferred to the girls transit home where she lived for two years. Eventually, after monitoring the home situation and working with Lucie's family, Kimbilio was able to reintegrate Lucie with her family this past year. She continues to benefit from Kimbilio paying her school tuition fees as well as her close relationship with the Kimbilio staff.


This video from 2022 is about Kimbilio's work. Lucie is one of the joyful stars in the video -- see if you can spot her!




 
 
 

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