Tindoka Graduation

So, last week I posted a blog about the poverty here and I think I may not have been clear about the poverty here and the homelessness. There are homeless people, but I see them more infrequently than I do in the US. I think part of this is because, to some extent, families take care of people, even if the person would normally be homeless in other countries. Maybe I am just not seeing the extent of homelessness. I am not sure.

That being said, there are still homeless people here. More than that, though, I think I need to talk about the street kids. I read a book before leaving the US called "Now I am Known" which is about a guy who grew up a street kid in Uganda until one gentleman took interest in him and invested in his future by sending him to school. From there he was able to lead a productive, positive life. If you have not read the book, I highly encourage it. The book is great and the author is very down to earth and funny. I follow him on IG and have written him before and he has written back.

Anyways, there are street kids here. It seems like street kids are more prevalent than homeless adults. I am unsure of exactly why this is, but it seems to be a more common reality, or obvious reality in Eastern Africa. These kids run the streets, steal, sell drugs, and engage in other dangerous and illegal activities. Most of the kids who grow up on the street either die by a young age, or they turn into full fledge criminals, who die in early adulthood or end up in jail.

There often seems like there is little hope for these children. Sometimes the reason they end up on the street because they are displaced children, because their families are too poor to care for them, or because they have run away from home. These are just some reasons.  Also, here people have many children due to the fact that so many die at an early age, because it is seen as the way to show what it means to be a true husband and wife (producing many children is seen as a status of higher being), and due to lack of birth control and sex education that exist here. It is complicated to understand why people who live in poverty or without much money keep having large families but it is the way it is here, as of now.

On Monday I went with a group of CMMB colleagues to Tindoka Vocational Training Institute. I believe I have written about this place before but it is the place that takes the CAAFAG (Child soldiers), IDP (Internally Displaced Persons- in this case children), and several children with disabilities (including one in a wheelchair and one who is deaf). Monday we were celebrating that 50 of these children graduated from the training institute. They graduated in trades such as tailoring, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and metal working. They have spent the last 6 months doing the training.

Watching them graduate was pretty touching and motivational. They spoke of being street kids and heading towards being criminals but now were given positive tools for the future. I may have cried a little when the kid in a wheelchair graduated and all of his family cheered for him. Even in the US people with disabilities are not given appropriate opportunities, but this young man has a chance for a better, more meaningful and productive life. Here opportunities are limited for many people, so the fact that there were several people with various handicaps included in the program shows progress.

Watching these young men and women, who were dealt very harsh and heartbreaking childhoods, have a better chance for a good future is wonderful. The Tindoka VTI is funded and run by NGOs, particularly CMMB, but also WFP and others who help provide some funding and food to keep these children in the program and give them the literal tools to do the trade work. More programs like this should exist and there are certainly others, but I hope that in the future even more are created. Not all of the children here are able to go to traditional schools, but getting to be involved in these trade schools help the children end that cycle of poverty and be productive, positive members of society.