FOCUS! The Girls at Risk on the Streets of Zambia

The Africa KidSAFE program (a PCI-led effort to provide a safety net for Zambia’s vulnerable children) faced challenges in addressing the needs of female street children, specifically, which remains a common obstacle in global efforts to help street children.

This is primarily because of the unique experiences, motives and problems that street-active children face when female, including escalated verbal, physical and sexual abuse, increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other STIs, exclusion, and the turbulence of pregnancy.

This greater trial and tribulation paradoxically makes female street children more resistant to aid from outreach workers and shelters, and there is a higher incidence of female street children leaving the structured care of temporary and permanent shelters. In an effort to revise our approach to increase success rates, the Africa KidSAFE Network has recognized a need to specialize care. To do this, we have increased facilities directed specifically towards female street children, including exclusively female shelters, staffed by female professionals, shelters for new and expecting mothers, and assurance of high-quality care within shelters and for outreach worker training.

These efforts will serve to foster trusting relationships and provide an environment conducive to addressing the emotional, mental and physical needs of female street-active children. The network plans to improve these facilities in close consultation with the girls’ feedback and further research and negotiations are being pursued this quarter to maximize services provided exclusively to girls.

Building Back Better

Earthquake Resistant Housing for Peru’s Rural Families

Nearly a year ago, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked the Peruvian regions of Pisco, Chincha, Alta, Ica, and Canete, leaving more than 90,000 families without homes. Since then, PCI has been working to create long-term, forward thinking solutions to help people in Peru deal with these kinds of disasters by building earthquake-resistant housing.

In partnership with Food for the Hungry, PCI has convened some of the world’s foremost experts in earthquake resistant building technology, non-governmental organizations, government officials, and international donors to pioneer an effort to help families rebuild with earthquake resistant adobe.

PCI is hosting visits from government officials of surrounding communities and other organizations, in hopes of expanding and developing the program. The vision is to create a local effort based on this technology to ultimately benefit tens of thousands of Peruvians.

Easing Burdens for Orphan Caregivers

Goats Provide Nutrition and Income

Ethiopia has one of the largest populations of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the world and, as the number of children losing parents to HIV/AIDS increases, an enormous burden is placed on extended families to meet the needs of these children.

Lack of food is often a major obstacle to improved health and nutrition, as well as recovery from tuberculosis and other debilitating infections for adults living with HIV/AIDS. For children, the lack of food leads to greater health problems due to weakened immune systems, poor school performance, and diminished quality of life.

With funding from Alternative Gifts International, PCI is providing HIV/AIDS-affected and vulnerable families in Ethiopia with goats and sheep to ease their burdens, help avert their deteriorating nutritional status, and generate income.

Goats are considered optimal for families affected by HIV/AIDS because they are small and can be easily handled by the sick, young, and elderly. The milk from goats is improving the quality of children’s diet and can also be sold for $0.44 US per liter to generate vital income for families. As of June 30, 2008, PCI expected to distribute over 2,500 goats and sheep to 1,700 caretakers of orphaned and vulnerable children.