BY: SHALLON S. GONLOR
SANNIQUELLIE, NIMBA CO. — According to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection shared results of the 2022 UNICEF survey, about 126,702 children in Liberia are living on the streets without access to education and parenthood.
Statistics from a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and Gender revealed that approximately 85,000 out-of-school children in the country. These reports are triggered by the increasing number of mothers finding themselves forced to raise their children alone due to the devastating abandonment effect and poverty. Like Nimba County, conclusive figures are hard to find, but a recent report from the Ministry of Gender Office in Nimba County found that the birth rate among teenagers is on the increase, giving birth to abandonment, resulting in street children.
In a special gathering on Wednesday with this paper, WOMEN VOICES NEWS’ correspondent in Nimba County, abandoned and street children in the county highlighted their confrontations with tough childhood. Stressing how they are living only with single parents, challenged with the harsh impacts of poor livelihoods, extreme poverty, and languishing in the street without access to primary education. The abandoned kids emphasized a series of violations of their rights, stating that access to education is their fundamental right, a societal good, and public responsibility, which prepares them for a brighter future, but to no avail.
The need to bridge the gap and transform the young generation cannot be overemphasized, as the burden for transformation begins with ‘Early Child Development,’ meaning access to quality education. This situation, widely spread across urban and rural areas of Liberia, is hampering the future generation of the country. Meanwhile, the large number of abandoned kids in Nimba County said it is alarming the statistics of the Ministry of Education and Gender survey that approximately 85,000 out-of-school children in the country.
Rallying President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Administration’s support to swiftly arrest the situation to address their plights to take them from the street, fearing many of them adapting to drug substances. Recounting the president’s commitment to support street children, the abandoned kids said the voice and promise of President Boakai continue to ring in their ears, noting that they are eagerly waiting to see the ‘Street Child Project’ initiative taking effect in keeping with the president’s assurance. “President Boakai said he grew up as an abandoned child like us, and he petty our conditions being left abandoned by immediate family members. Therefore, we are waiting and calling on him to help us so that tomorrow we will be like he is today,” the abandoned kids stated.
Samuel, 13, is a victim abandoned by their father, living with his single mother in the Vehyipa Community. “I’m not in school because my mother cannot afford to pay school fees. I am in the street here selling to enable my mother to provide food for me and my junior brothers and sisters. We are abandoned by our father”, Samuel lamented. Samuel has not had the opportunity to go to school since ten years ago. “I feel very bad and ashamed that I have not sat in class with friends who all live in the same neighborhood and birthed together. I can’t even write and spell my name,” says Samuel.
Also speaking, 10-year-old Miracle is a K-2 student attending the Martha Tubman Elementary and Junior High School in Sanniquellie, Nimba County. The 10-year-old girl child explained that she lives with her biological parents yet has not had the opportunity to frequently go to school each academic year. “My father is a private security man, while my mother is not doing anything. My father’s account can not keep me in school each school year,” Miracle stated Little Miracle, after school time, goes in the street to sell bananas to sustain the family, thus becoming the breadwinner.
These children, who were abandoned by their fathers and living with single mothers, are now forced to languish in the street, becoming vulnerable in society. A recent investigation also conducted by WomenVoices Newspaper at a sand mining base in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, uncovered the harsh reality faced by vulnerable women and children. These abandoned children are engaged in physical labor, including throwing shovels, digging, and washing sand, to make ends meet.
The abuses documented are numerous, including poor hygiene, lack of education, inadequate food and water, and rampant child labor practices. Children as young as seven years and above spoke out about their experiences, revealing that instead of attending school, they spend their days helping their mothers mine sand, selling in the street to make ends meet.
President Boakai’s commitment
In August 2024, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai committed himself to addressing the plights of the hundreds of thousands of street children across the country, many of whom have been left abandoned by their immediate family members, and ensuring their well-being.
Speaking at the official launch of the ‘Street Child Project’ recently in Monrovia, the president expressed his commitment to ensuring that no child is left on the streets or out of school, affirming that it is a collective responsibility to care for all children in society.
During the launch event at the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, President Boakai emphasized the importance of safeguarding the well-being of all children, stating that parents should be able to treat their children with love and care, whether they are on the streets or at home.
The Liberian Leader pledged his fullest support for the ‘National Street Children Project’ and called on the public to join in contributing towards the welfare and education of these vulnerable children The Project, dubbed “Support A Child, Secure the Future,” aims at rescuing and rehabilitating street children of Liberia by providing them access to education and a chance for a better future.
The initiative of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) endeavors to save the next generation of the country’s future leaders and put them on the path of becoming productive citizens. The project inaugurates a five-year, nationally-driven endeavor spearheaded by the government through MoGCSP to permanently remove over 7,000 children from street situations across the country within five years.
If implemented, the initiative of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection will address the crisis, with many children facing severe risks, including malnutrition, substance abuse, violence, exploitation, and human trafficking remedy. The practical approach is expected to permanently remove 73,317 children from the streets, representing 20% of the total number, from street situations.
This initiative intends to directly and urgently respond to the need to protect and uplift vulnerable children living on the streets by providing them with the care, education, and opportunities necessary for a brighter future. But, scores of abandoned children in Nimba County are worried and doubting the full implementation of the ‘National Street Children Project,’ citing corruption and misuse of public resources, which have, over the years, hindered relevant projects. Liberia grapples with widespread corruption and extreme poverty as the future of the country’s youth hangs in the balance.
