Upendo Daima Tanzania
Mwanza is home to many street children. These children, sometimes as young as 5 years old, live in deplorable conditions on the streets. They survive by doing odd jobs, begging, stealing, or sometimes even prostituting themselves.
Upendo Daima regularly goes out onto the streets of Mwanza during the day, but especially in the evenings, to make contact with these children. We talk to them, listen to their stories, and try to convince them that a better future is in store for them.
If a child wants to, he is invited to come to the Back Home House. This house, close to the city center, is meant to help the new children get used to a safe environment again. They get food, a roof over their heads, basic education, and personal attention. At the same time, they receive therapy to process their traumatic experiences and we try to find out where they come from.
Goal: Reuniting street children with their families through counseling and various kinds of support, including providing shelter.
History
A sister from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa began this project in 1995. Since 2000, Marga van Barschot, who started as a lay missionary from the “Sociëteit voor Afrikaanse Missiën”, has been connected to this project as a coordinator. Before she went to Africa, she worked in the Netherlands as a social worker in youth care. She decided to use her knowledge and love for children in Tanzania. Until mid-2013, Upendo Daima worked under the Archdiocese of Mwanza, but is now an NGO and registered in Dar es Salaam. However, Christian principles are still followed, but all street children are welcome, regardless of religion or origin.
Organization The project has now grown into a fantastic organization with 22 Tanzanians, working as a counselor, supervisor, teacher, cook, gardener, nurse, and guard, and Marga handed over the baton at the end of 2016.
Activities
The street team regularly goes out onto the streets to make contacts with the children to gain their trust. Because Upendo Daima provides shelter in the Back Home House, a place where children receive love and care, a bond of trust can be established and from this contact, help is offered. The main objective is to reunite street children with their families and support them in their development wherever possible. The team therefore immediately starts looking for the family with the children and establishes contacts with the leaders of the community.
It is not possible for every child to be reunited with his or her parents. Therefore, there is shelter in Malimbe Family. The attempts to reunite all children with their families continue here. Here the children can go to the local primary school and get the attention that every child has a right to. The children are guided towards independence and learn a trade to be able to provide for their own livelihood in the future.
Upendo Daima Netherlands
Upendo Daima Netherlands is a foundation. The foundation’s goal is to generate funds for projects in the Third World. In practice, the Upendo Daima Netherlands Foundation focuses entirely on caring for street children in Tanzania through the Upendo Daima Organisation in Mwanza, Tanzania. More information about Upendo Daima Netherlands can be found in our policy plan.
The board of the foundation consists of:
Ite van Aardenne (Chairman) Jeanine de Groot (Secretary) Jan van Bergen (Treasurer) John Miltenburg
The board members do not receive any compensation, and no expenses are paid. The foundation does not employ staff. Activities of Upendo Daima Netherlands are included in the annual report. You can find the annual report here.