From street child to school achiever: Theirworld project turns Reuben’s life around
Categories: UK EDUCATION NEWS
When things got rough at home, Reuben Tiema ran away to live on the streets in the Kenyan market town of Luanda. He wandered with other children and sold scrap metal to survive.“Street life was bad because there was no place to sleep. There was no food and it was cold,” he said.But Reuben’s life has turned around. Now 16 and living with his grandmother, he is back in school and doing well thanks to a programme supported by Theirworld which helps street children with visible and invisible disabilities and special education needs. A specialist Learning Support Assistant (LSA) works with them in mainstream schools. More than 350,000 children in Kenya and millions around the world work and live on the streets. To mark International Day for Street Children today, Theirworld has produced a new video about the LEAP (Learning, Educating And Protecting) Together project at 12 schools in Vihiga County, near Lake Victoria. Run by Chance for Childhood and its in-country partner Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programmes (KUAP), it aims to help 200 children. At Emutsuru School, about 25 children have benefitted from the LEAP II programme. Head teacher Vitalis Kulundu said: “They are doing well. When the lessons are being taught by the teachers, the learning assistants move around to help these learners to understand more.”Many “street-connected” children – who spend all or some of their time living and working on the streets – drop out of primary school or don’t get any education in Kenya. For those with disabilities and special education needs, the challenges include discrimination from their communities, teachers and even their own parents.Because of that, the programme is also providing positive parenting workshops for 120 parents – including promoting the right of education for a child with special needs.