Street children in Beira find a home and a family
An article by Nelson Moda in Noticias
A group of thirteen street children, aged between 13 and 16, who were wandering the streets of the city of Beira in Mozambique have been rescued and hosted by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Nelson Moda of Sant’Egidio, in an article in Noticias, recounts:
“The children now live in the Ponta-Gêa neighbourhood in total safety and are no longer at risk of sexual abuse, physical violence, use of drugs and alcoholic beverages and far from human traffickers. They sleep in bunk beds with mattresses and blankets. They receive three meals a day and attend classes in local primary and secondary schools, some of them for the first time. To improve their pedagogical activities, the Community of Sant’Egidio has also mobilised a teacher to tutor them. They also have access to free food, clothes and medical assistance.”
The Community of Sant’Egidio in Beira takes in more than 260 street children and young people on a permanent basis, and through the Nutritional Centre, since 2011, another 650 children, including some vulnerable families from the Praia Nova area and residents of the Grand Hotel, in particular by providing lunch from Monday to Friday.
Nelson Moda continues: ‘We appeal to national and foreign non-governmental organisations, businesspeople and all people of goodwill to support our work,’ emphasising that all this ‘concerns the lives of future generations and everyone is called upon to do their part for the development of the country.