A Study of Shelters for Street Children from an Organizational ...

differed greatly from the feelings of the staff participants and managers of the shelters.
Managers argued that children should adhere to rules and regulations because they
were necessary to regulate and maintain order in shelters. Shelters staff and residents
held divergent views. Some staff and children held that part of children's re-orientation
was instilling of discipline and as a result shelter rules and regulations should be
adhered to as part of learning and training of children. Other staff members and
children held the view that flexibility was necessary in keeping rules and regulations,
particularly rules governing issues of leisure time, visits from their boy/girl friends and
the reintegration process. These two divergent perspectives was characteristic of the
differences between children the recipients of shelter services, and service providers
lack of knowing that rules and regulations were not in place as mechanism of
punishments but were there to facilitate order in the shelters and consequently lead to
delivery of timely services. Hasenfeld (1983:4) argues that the interaction between
service recipients and providers is characterized by dependency on the part of the
recipients, and coercion from the service delivery organization. In this regard, shelters
needed some form of rules and regulations and every body had to adhere to in order
for shelters to function smoothly.
Maintenance of property and equipments, particularly the dormitories, was of immense
concern both from residents and service provider's points of views. Broken facilities
meant that some necessary programs of leisure and recreation were difficult to carry
out. In this regard, children found shelters not providing them with quality services and
complained of boredom in the shelters. It could be argued that regular consultations
with children would instil some form of responsibility in their actions and behaviour
when making use of shelter's facilities to avoid unwanted breakages. Ennew (1994: 33­
35) discusses the process of involving children in decision-making process, and argues
that it is not easy nor would it happen overnight, but it is necessary. Shelters would
initiate such a process in order to make use of children's human potential. This would
reverse the notion among children that shelters were providing services for them,
rather than working with them. Once children gave meaning and attached value of
shelters efforts and own those efforts, they would contribute constructively to shelters
programs and value services. Ennew (1994: 35) concludes that projects that rely on
children's competence are proving successful in their programs elsewhere. Shelters
managers and staff were indecisive whether to provide services to or work with children
to find solutions to their challenges. In the context where discipline involved children's
understanding and participation, it would be broadening their resilience and capacity to
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