Empowering Street-Connected Children: The S.A.L.V.E. International Approach

“If you make the world a better place for kids, you make it a better place for everyone.”

Street-connected children would love to have a safe bed to sleep in, parents to tuck them in at night, three meals a day, a hug, and an “I love you “,  just like every other child,  but sadly this is not their reality.  

These children make families amongst themselves because everyone wants to belong somewhere. They have an enormous passion for learning. However, their curiosity is easily destroyed by a lack of resources and the hardship they face daily.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child defines street-connected children as

(a) children who depend on the streets to live and/or work, whether alone, with peers, or with family; and 

(b) a wider population of children who have formed strong connections with public spaces and for whom the street plays a vital role in their everyday lives and identities.

S.A.L.V.E. International is an organization that has built a commendable framework to uplift these children. They protect them from such vulnerabilities through love and trust.   Standing true to their name, Support and Love via Education, they teach, support, and house children. They seek ways to reconcile them with their families by working with parents to help them become financially independent. S.A.L.V.E. has been working in Uganda for sixteen years—creating and inspiring change.

Street Outreach Strategy

Each child S.A.L.V.E. works with goes through a journey within themselves. They start by building a relationship with every child and bringing them into other self-programming activities. S.A.L.V.E. brings in the children who are close to re-homing into their residential site. This is to make them confident before they can resettle back with their families.

Protection Work

Their Street Outreach Team identifies street-connected children and works on immediate protection.

S.A.L.V. E. Street Outreach Manager Sarah, commented on the process, “I have to ensure that we build a good relationship with the children on the streets. We do this through interacting with them during street walks, street sports, and indoor games. We also have counseling sessions with them when they come to our drop-in centers.

During these counseling sessions, we get to know their stories and find ways to help them leave the streets. The challenge is the high rate of child labor. The locals take advantage of the children on the streets to work for them. In return, they pay them very little or give them some food. This makes these children become negative to our plans of taking them off the streets and back home.”

Prevention Work

What sets S.A.L.V.E. apart is their prevention work. They have an education program where once children are resettled, the team helps them get back into school.  Otherwise, they provide them with vocational training. This makes the children self-assured and prevents them from potentially going back on the streets. It is a long-term solution to give the children a plan and structure in life so they can support themselves.

S.A.L.V.E. also has a community and business team who are working with the families of children who have been resettled to assist them in starting their own businesses. This approach helps the families of the children improve their standard of lifestyle and afford to keep their children in the family. The children are able to pay for their school fees, and sometimes, there’s enough money to even reinvest in businesses.

Contemporary Development Programming

It’s important for S.A.L.V.E. to adjust its programs to fit the new trends and challenges. They are also giving appropriate attention to the climate change issue. A lot of the business ideas they encourage families to take up are in the prevention of climate degradation and are agriculture-focused. They have a permaculture team that provides training to the families to farm responsibly and naturally. For example, they train the families to not rely on chemical-based products helping the families have sustainable businesses that support them long term. 

S.A.L.V.E. will also be exploring new opportunities for growth and innovation under the leadership of Lucas Mee. Over the next year, he wants to help young people overcome challenges and educate themselves, especially through Sports Programming.

Strong Female Leadership

S.A.L.V.E. International embodies empowerment, both internal and external to their team. Two-thirds of their senior management are experienced women leaders. They are caring and passionate about the organization and have no difficulties in challenging ideas and norms. Such an inclusive management structure allows the organization to impact both girls and boys equally. This result may be unconsciously gained but is remarkable all the same since street-connected girls are more vulnerable than boys in many ways. The organization’s core values of equality and impact are greatly manifested through the work S.A.L.V.E. is doing and makes it stronger.

Celebrating International Day for Street Children

“Having a special day on the calendar means that everybody else has to listen to the voices that we hear every day.”, Lucas Mee, CEO of S.A.L.V.E. International.

International Day for Street Children is celebrated on April 12th, it is a day that marks both the calendar and the hearts of the people. It is a day for the world to see and understand the children and their conditions. It’s an inspiration for everyone to renew their efforts to offer them the needed protection and support. 

S.A.L.V.E. constantly tries to give voice to the children locally and internationally. Every year S.A.L.V.E. releases ‘News from the Streets’ for International Day for Street Children. This is a newspaper written and printed entirely by street children. It is a way to listen to their authentic voices and learn about their thoughts and experiences. The team guides the Street Connected children to build whatever concept speaks to them. The entire team is proud of the project and enjoys putting it together every year. It is also a testament to the blood, sweat, and tears of the organization. They have mentored countless children to express themselves and rebuild their lives.

Partnering With Girl Power USA

For 2024, S.A.L.V.E. hosted an event where they collaborated with other organizations including Girl Power USA. They created a fun day for the children by including a talent show. They also conducted HIV education, a health check, a talent show, and a conference at the end of the day. 

Girl Power USA offered every child in attendance a medical checkup. The goal was to identify children who needed more immediate intervention. They also shared advice and treated each child with medication that would protect them from the unsanitary living conditions. 

At Kakindu Stadium, laughter and music were heard throughout the day. You could see a stunning picture of hope and belonging for children painted in real life. An orchestral band marched through the streets creating a festive atmosphere. The event was a testament to the first step for Street Connected children. That is good health, education, and love is needed for their voices to be heard and not forgotten.

For S.A.L.V.E. every day is a day committed to bringing joy into the lives of street-connected children. The organization strives to empower these young people through honesty and genuine solutions. Knowing their stories is a way of connecting with them and making sure they never go back on the streets.