top of page

About Us

Background

Ever since the emergence of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Zambia, Many Children have been orphaned and the traditional extended family system has been failing to cope with the problem of looking after such children.

 

This has resulted in many households being run by Juveniles and many Children going on the Streets due to socio-economic hardships. CHIN, (2007), estimated that over 1,900,000 households in Zambia are headed by Children age 14, and UNICEF estimates that there are about 20,000 Street Children in Zambia. 

​

View our organizational profile here: 

Footprints outreach work and Zambian culture, edited by Outreach Officer, Moses.

Chair of Trustees, Roger and Volunteer, Amy, discuss Footprints on Diamond TV Zambia.

The Epidemic of Street Children in Zambia

Zambian society is ever-evolving and embracing modernity and development. As is often agreeable that with this modernity, the traditional family system is also diminishing. HIV/AIDS is profoundly hitting families in Zambia and Children are at greater risk of social exclusion and exploitation than ever before. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has diverse social and economic effects and has caused many deaths among working-age adults. Because of this, many children leave their homes in smaller towns to work in larger cities, like Lusaka, Ndola, Livingstone and Kitwe. Poverty, Violence, lack of family support, and hunger are other push factors causing  children to move to the streets. This epidemic is almost in every city of Zambia.

64%

of the total population in Zambia are living below the poverty line, rising to 80% in rural areas.

1/3

of children lose one or both parents before they reach adulthood, with 19 per cent of orphans losing both their mother and father.

1.2

million children are currently orphaned and one in three of these orphans are living with a grandparent.

12%

of children aged 5-14 years are working on the Streets.

Street Children are typically between the ages of 5 and 17 years old and live without adult support.

Grouping

Children of the Streets

These are Children that live on the Street but if Scrutinized properly they have some family ties somewhere and due to various reasons they find themselves on the streets.

Children on the Streets

These Children are engaged in some kind of economic activities, ranging from begging to vending. They do this to help out their families in one way or another.

Abandoned Children

Abandoned Children have no family link or whatsoever. The Streets are the foundation of everything in their lives. This is where they see family, Shelter food etc.

Causes of Street Children

Research carried out by Muntingh, (2006:10) in Zambia, states that there are numerous factors that cause children to be on the Streets. In his results he concluded the most common are the following: 

​

  • Abuse at home

  • Guardian died

  • No home to go to

  • To earn money

  • To play

  • Home environment not conducive

  • Abandoned by parents

  • Peer pressure

  • Poverty and hunger

Problems on the Street

  • Diseases (HIV/AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections, malaria etc.

  • Lack of education

  • Prostitution

  • All kinds of abuse

  • Drugs and alcohol

  • Murders

  • Behavioural change 

  • Aggressiveness

  • Road traffic accidents (RTA)

bottom of page