An assessment of the contribution of Tumaini Love and Hope Children Center to the street children and young people in Dodoma urban district : the case of Msalato and Bihawana homes
Date
2005
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Publisher
Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
This study was carried out with the main aim of assessing how Tumaini Love and Hope children center has faired in its noble task of meeting the needs of street children and young people. Specific objectives of the study included: (i) to investigate the nature and magnitude of the problems of street children and young people in relation to factors contributing to their abandonment from home and becoming street vendors; (ii) to identify current attempts to rehabilitate street children and young people; (iii) to examine the extent to which the center has attempted to offer social services to the street children and young people; (iv) to examine what street children and young people have learnt or gained at the respective sub- center; and finally (v) recommend on appropriate measures to deal with street children and youths affairs for their sustainable development. Four hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. They include: (i) The migration of street children and young people to towns is mainly caused by Economic / social hardships they face at their respective homes; (ii) Rehabilitation and reformation of street children and young people by the center has changed their behaviour and conduct; (iii) Education and other social services provided by the center have contributed to the improvement of knowledge, skills and satisfaction of street children and young people; and (iv) self help scheme involvement at the sub-centers has helped street children and young people to gain experience on how to raise their economic status and self employment. The study methodology included literature review and field survey by using various methods of data collection. Such as direct observation, focus group discussion, life history and open and semi-structured questionnaire.
The study concluded that: (i) The root cause for the shifting of street children and young people to towns and becoming street vendors is poverty, that results from the economic hardships that their parents face at their places of origin. (ii) The Tumaini center had played a recommendable job on rehabilitation and reformation of street children and young people. (iii) The social services provided by the Tumaini center had quite significantly contributed to the improvement of street children and young people's knowledge, skill and satisfaction (iv) The involvement of street children and young people had also been quite significantly helped to gain experience and how to raise their economic status and search for self employment. The study recommendations included:(i) The central government, local authorities and other rural development agencies should device measures of helping the general public especially parents guardians of street children and young people, who are basically farmers, with capital so that they may invest more in Agriculture which is their major occupational activity, (ii) The Tumaini center is required to ensure that the registered street children and young people stay at their sub-centers until when they are officially re- unified with their respective families. (iii) The central government, local authorities and other interested stakeholders (both local and International) concerned with the deals of street children and young people should play their part in supporting the Tumaini children center and other interested organizations so that they might offer equitable social services to the street children and young people. (iv) After reformation the re- unified young people should be provided with soft loans in order to boost them in terms of initial capital so that they can invest it for their future developments and sustainability. (Author abstract)
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