Economic hardship forcing children onto streets

USAID has approved a grant of US $1.1 million to SCF-UK to support a street children's project in Kinshasa, a USAID official told IRIN on Tuesday. The two-year project, which began in March, provides assistance to local NGOs and government bodies dealing with street children and also supports community-based prevention initiatives, an SCF-UK official told IRIN. While there has been no visible increase in the number of street children in Kinshasa over the past year, an increase is to be expected if the economic situation continues to deteriorate, she said. "Families don't have food at home" because of high unemployment, inflation and the reduced availability of goods, leading children to fend for themselves on the streets, the official said. The city's street children also include many AIDS orphans, child sex workers and children thrown out of their homes after being accused of "witchcraft," she added.