The NGO Oyo Projects - Social Arts  has been wor­king with street chil­dren in DR Con­go since 2012. In Kin­sha­sa, 200,000 chil­dren create in­come through pan­hand­ling, theft or pros­titu­tion. They are or­ga­niz­ed in­to gangs that face off with ri­val gangs and com­pete for the limi­ted re­sour­ces avail­able. Oyo Pro­jects fun­ctions as an ini­ti­al re­cep­tion cen­ter for these of­ten trau­mat­iz­ed chil­dren.

 

Oyo Projects offers a regu­lar pro­gram for 25 chil­dren. They re­cei­ve food, me­di­cal treat­ment and clo­thing. Twice a week, a tea­cher tea­ches arith­metic, rea­ding and writ­ing. Pain­ting, the­ater and mu­sic are also in­clu­ded in the cur­ri­cu­lum. Acti­vit­ies such as mu­ral pain­ting, con­certs and per­for­man­­ces draw atten­tion to the dire si­tua­tion ex­peri­en­ced by these chil­­dren.

 

Currently the Oyo Proj­ects acti­vit­ies take pla­ce in pub­lic youth cen­ters. This ven­ue leads to con­flicts, as many chil­dren ha­ve be­havio­ral pro­blems. With our sup­port, in 2023, per­ma­nent rooms will be ren­ted and de­velo­ped in­to a cul­tural cen­ter. Work­­shops for plas­tic rec­yc­ling, vi­su­al arts, a mu­sic stu­dio and a sew­ing work­shop will be cre­at­ed. Sani­tary fa­cilit­ies will be in­clu­ded to in­crea­se the participation of young women which will help facilitate the addition of family planning services.