The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) has announced that President Joseph Boakai, will on today officially launch the “Street Child Project,” marking a significant move to address the growing crisis of street children in Liberia.
The initiative which is expected to be held under the theme: “Support A Child, Save The Future,” also marks the beginning of a five-year national effort to be led by the MGCSP aimed at permanently removing over 7,000 children from the streets across the country.
The launch, according to a MGCSP release, will take place at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, under the theme: “Arise Liberia, Let’s Save the Future of Our Children.”
The Ministry release further disclosed that the project underscores Liberia’s renewed commitment to creating a safer and more supportive environment for every child and is a crucial step toward securing their futures.
It can be recalled that the “Support A Child, Save The Future” project was developed following a 2022 survey revealing that a staggering 366,584 children were living in street situations across Liberia.
Montserrado County alone accounts for 42 percent of these children, totaling 153,965, with Nimba, Bassa, Bong, and Margibi Counties contributing to another 42 percent, with the survey identifying various root causes of said crisis including malnutrition, substance abuse, violence, exploitation, and human trafficking.
The project aims to permanently remove 73,317 children, representing 20 percent of the total, from street situations; the pilot phase, which will span one year, will focus on Montserrado County, targeting the removal of 7,698 children, or 5% of the county’s total.
The project will empower 1,920 mothers and caregivers, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis, as this initiative seeks to protect and uplift vulnerable street children by providing them with the care, education, and opportunities needed for a brighter future.
The Ministry has since pledged to work closely with all relevant partners and stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the “Support A Child, Save The Future” Project, creating lasting change, securing a safer and brighter future for all child.
In preparation for the launch, the Ministry through its Minister, Gbeme Horace-Kollie, has made significant strides to ensure the project’s success, as on August 14, 2024, the Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Street Child-Liberia to help recruit and enroll 50,000 children from the streets over the next six years.
Under this agreement, Street Child will mobilize resources and collaborate with the Ministry to place these children in school and provide livelihood support or grants to their parents.
The Country Director for Street Child-Liberia, Andrew Tehmeh, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, describing it as a worthy initiative, and said, “This is a worthy cause, and we are glad to be a part of it.”
Tehmeh, during the brief signing ceremony furthered, “I want to encourage all Liberians to join this effort. This is a major opportunity to make an impact and help children who are out of school and wandering the streets.”
Earlier, Gender Minister, Gbeme Horace-Kollie shared her excitement about the partnership with Street Child-Liberia, and said, “I am excited. This is the kind of collaboration we have been looking forward to and I am grateful that today we have the opportunity to make it a reality.”
She praised the organization as “God-sent” due to their expertise and emphasized the urgency of addressing the crisis, noting that she and President Boakai are fully committed to the initiative.
Ahead of today’s launching, some interventions are already underway with the commitment of US$379,000 from the government as startup funding for the pilot phase; 50 social workers have been recruited and trained in community entry, identification and documentation, child protection best practices, referral, and counseling.
Minister Kollie asserted, “Social workers have already mapped over 200 communities across the four project zones, and 10 private schools have been identified in areas where public schools are not accessible for children.”
“Public rehabilitation centers have been identified to provide detoxification services, led by the Ministry of Health (MOH), and 50 potential foster caregivers have voluntarily registered their information in the project’s foster care registry and will be trained by MGCSP.
UNICEF has provided initial training for the project’s social workers on using the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) and has committed to offering further training before the official launch,” she noted.
Minister Kollie also intoned, “The CPIMS, developed with support from UNICEF, is designed to collect, store, analyze, and share child protection-related data, which is crucial for the street children project.”
She added, “The Ministry is now calling on the public to support this national effort by signing up as foster caregivers, either by taking a child into their home or supporting them in another way.”
Meanwhile, Minister Kollie revealed that every foster parent who takes in a child, the Ministry of Gender will assign a social worker to monitor the child’s well-being, indicating that due to the prevalence of street vendors in Montserrado County, the Ministry has divided the county into four zones.
Zone 1 covers Gabriel Tucker Bridge, Waterside Bridge, Stockton Creek Bridge, Duala, and Poor River Bridge, while Zone 2 include Greater Monrovia, West Point, Slipway, Central Monrovia, Sinkor, ending at Vamumah.
Congo Town, ELWA, AB Tolbert Road, and RIA Highway make up of Zone 3; while Zone 4 covers Japanese Freeway, Paynesville Red Light, Mount Barclay, Johnsonville, Todee, and Dixville.