Street-based children and youth of Nepal (after the earthquake)

Each child, each youth whom we met on the streets of Nepal is a life and a story. And to try and understand or even back him on his way, to hope and generate a “better-being” in his everyday life or a breaking-off with the street, what matters is to respect him for what he is, for what he wears and, above all, for what he dreams of... 

CPCS, while busy with distribution of relief materials all over the country, is still focusing on its core buisness/missions, support, rehabilitation and prevention. The earthquake will directly or indirectly direct many new children to the streets of Nepal. Prevention has to be done with families, we have to focus against unnecessary institutionalisation, risks of traffic, separations of family, etc... but we also have to response and ensure protection the children who are on the streets now... who need care and back support... !!!

Our field/street workers ensure presence, support on the field and we use socialisation or rehabilitation centers...

Feeling socially unaccepted, they decide in turn not to accept society and its rules. “Why should we respect a society which rejects us?”

The paradox is indeed terrible: society rejects street children because they are unsociable, and the children are unsociable because society rejects them. They are still children, but they’ve had to adopt some adult behaviors in order to face their difficult environment. Feeling unaccepted by society, they form a parallel society with its own codes, its language features and its own rituals, which includes sniffing glue and taking other drugs.