Street kids living on glue, need help

RUSSO LUMA
Correspondent | Friday March 19, 2010 00:00

Often camouflaged in innocent milk boxes, the glue container itself nevertheless screams a dire warning. The bold sign is flammable liquid 3, which indicates danger.  Under precautions, users are warned against inhalation because vapour may irritate nose and upper respiratory tract. Inhalation also causes dizziness, impaired judgement and nausea. While the manufacturers do not expect people to inhale this substance they obviously see it fit to warn them that in the event of accidentally inhaling its vapour, the effects can be dire.

While one can imagine the effect that repeated and deliberate inhalation does to one's respiratory system, these youngsters do not seem to care, judging by their actions. While shops that sell this glue to these youngsters, some even younger than 10 years, can be excused to 'believing' that they want to use it for its rightful purposes, what about the cigarettes these children puff on every so often?

Their favourite haunt in Francistown is the chain vendors' stalls that flank the road leading into the rank. Even as this reporter stood on the pavement beside the road, one of these boys, who apparently has an identical twin brother, unhurriedly jaywalked as he openly inhaled the hazardous glue vapour. A speeding taxi hooted loudly to get him off the road but he just dawdled past seemingly unconcerned. The driver had no choice but to slow down.

Anyone can see that inhaling this substance does not help their already precarious conditions. On the contrary it worsens it as they walk around listless and bleary-eyed sometimes with vacant looks in their eyes.

'One of the street kids normally takes a nap and keeps his scavenged food here. I haven't seen him today, may be they have killed him,' one of the vending ladies worriedly says. Like all the others this particular street kid has a story to tell. His mother left him with his elderly grandmother when he was still a baby. She went to South Africa and that was the last they saw of her. This boy, nicknamed Fanakhulu, started primary school, but had to quit due to the circumstances hence he ended up on the street. He ended up pushing trolleys for shoppers from Shoprite and Nswazi Spar to make enough money to buy relish to take home to his grandmother. This did not last because of the frequent beatings at home. He hardly goes home now, or so the story says.

Fanakhulu looks anything between 10 and 12 years of age. He is in the company of another boy who looks younger than him when he stops at one of the vendors stalls. Both boys are barefoot. These boys should be in school, it is heart rending just to look at them. More importantly they should be under the care of adults.  'Some of these kids' parents are right here in Francistown and I wonder where they think they are. Just look at how dirty they are,' one vending lady says in disgust.

 They then turned their rage on stall and shop owners who sell these kids glue and cigarettes. They feel that people who sell such substances to underage children should be arrested. 'Why should they be arrested?' the younger boy angrily asks.

 One of the ladies tells them that smoking and inhaling glue vapour is unhealthy. They do not seem to care about what she is saying. She then asks them why they inhale the glue vapour before eating and they tell her that it makes them feel food. When one of the ladies suggests that they be taken to SOS village- a care centre-they are furious with such an idea.

While it may seem odd that they prefer the lifestyle they are living rather than the inhibitions that would come in living under the care of adults in a care centre, maybe it would not be too far-fetched an idea to think that never bathing, wearing filthy clothes, inhaling glue vapour and eating from bins has sapped the essence of what is good and clean from them that they no longer dream of it.

This should however not absolve society of a sense of responsibility, their very appearance screams for help and attention. We see them every time we are in town. They beg for money. They ask us if they can push our trolleys for any amount of money. We give them a few coins thereafter and go home and enjoy the contents of the trolleys with our beloved children.

They in turn will use those coins to buy glue and cigarettes. Society should come up with solutions on what to do with these children. Can they not be rounded up and their parents or guardians be traced? The situation at home can be assessed to ascertain the reasons for the child fleeing from home.

Stakeholders such as the police, social workers as well as psychiatrists can come together to come up with a solution. Maybe care centres for these kids can be built where they would even receive an education. Everyone deserves a decent life. There are orphanages where these children can be placed.

The sad thing about it is that the street kids seem to have been left to fight it all alone. The cold winter always bites them. Most of them do not have warm clothes. And on a cold night, for those who never go back home, it is a sad story. Some of these kids' parents are late. They were left behind with old guardians who really cannot manage to take care of them.

They may be receiving food handouts from the government, but there is more to taking care of a child than just giving them food.  Some of them left home because of negligent parents. Some just became rebellious and went to the streets.  But they all need our help.