Voices From the Street
Meet two Brazilian Girls who live on the streets of Sao Paulo. Their names
are Walkiria and Afrilana. Walkiria (on the left) is 12 years old. She is a gang leader of
about 20 girls and boys which roam the streets of the second largest city in the western
hemisphere. The rest of her
 family lives on the streets as well, including her
mother and a younger sister who is 9 years old.
One of her brothers has already died of AIDS and the three others are in
jail for stealing. To survive, she steals food, clothes, and watches, and picks pockets.
She sleeps on the streets, in parks, and doorways of shops. She has been sniffing glue and
using other drugs since she was nine years old.
Afrilana is 13 and lives on the streets as well. She and her baby (pictured) are HIV
positive. She was abandoned as an infant and taken in by a local children’s home. She
ran away and now lives on the street with her baby. She uses her baby as a decoy in order
to rob people. She also uses drugs to try to forget life on the streets.
Both of these young girls’ lives are filled with all the problems which children
face when forced to live on the streets. Because they steal to survive, they live in fear
of the possibility of being hunted down by death squads who are hired by local merchants
to protect their property. It is a most brutal life these children live. Fear,
abandonment, loneliness, hunger, cold, and death are all a part of their everyday
existence.
As we enter the year 2000, would you please remember young street kids like these, in
your heart. Homeless Children International is committed to establishing
transitional homes for children like Walkiria and Afrilana, as well as more permanent
homes away from the streets. There are many ways that you can join us in working with
these street children. Please take a look at our section on How
You Can Get Involved.
|
