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

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understand such discourses. Through the street, the children learn how to survive and become resilient. They build support mechanisms and a sense of belonging. The street groups not only provide peer cooperation but help to meet their needs for love and belonging, self-esteem, self-actualisation, freedom, interaction with the environment, and play. In this regard, the street is their home and dwelling place. The capacity to construct a world to live in despite difficult and harsh conditions signifies that children have a capacity of experiential knowledge, which the shelters could make use. This would motivate and encourage the children thereby boost their morale and commitment in the shelter programs of intervention and reintegration. This experience could be constructively utilised by shelters to enhance their programs and services (Allsebrook and Swift, 1989; Ennew, 1994).The lack of the children's 'voice' can be construed to imply that children are denied the opportunity to co-construct and own the shelters. In this regard, it could be argued that children living and/or working on the streets suffer loss of not being co-authors of the programs and services designed for their benefit. Children in general and in particular those in the shelters are within the domain of adult discretion, in which society hopes and expects that adults will always consciously act in their best interests. To a very large extent this appears to be the case, while on the other hand the phenomenon of children living and/or working on the streets is an indicator that this assumption or expectation is not realistic, because the adult world is power-dominated consequently subjects minority and vulnerable groups into marginalisation and domination. Children living and/or working on the streets are one such minority vulnerable group. Their status is further exacerbated by the media which influences and shapes public opinion and perception. Children while on the streets present and represent the images that mark them out as a subculture and thereby intensify their alienation and exclusion from the mainstream society. 6.1.2 Conclusions Regarding the Definitions The phenomenon of children living and/or working on the streets arises from many complex and interlinked factors, therefore dealing with the phenomenon means dealing with all the factors that trigger it. Any attempt to intervene and deal with a few of the factors rather than all, only intensifies rather than reduce the challenges or problems thereof. For example, reintegrating children into the mainstream society before tackling the causes and the impact of poverty among communities and families only recycles children back on the streets. Researchers have identified poverty as a major contributing factor, which impacts heavily on families and communities (Aptekar, 1988; 107
Blanc, 1994; Wilson and Ramphele, 1989). Poverty and its effects impede and plague the efforts of the shelters, particularly the reintegration programs whereby children re enter the streets when circumstances that triggered the first problem are not dealt with. Another task that shelters need to consider is the follow-up programs whereby children who have been re-united or re-integrated can be continuously visited and supported until such a time as they are fully self confident (Ennew 1994:119-121). No single word can capture the definition of 'children living and/or working on the streets'. Researchers discredit the use of the label 'street children' because of its derogatory or demeaning connotations. It must be remembered and as we observed earlier that, children living and/or working on the streets themselves do not like the label (Swart 1990; Agnelli, et.al 1986). The label in the contemporary debate been dropped in favour of the descriptive term 'children living and/or working on the streets', which explains what and where children are. This descriptively approximates and captures the idea of street living without categorising children as 'street children'. Perhaps it would be productive to involve children in the construction of a name that would bear their full meaning of the world of street life experiences and may be that would be a solution to the definitional challenges. Shelters for children living and/or working on the streets also need to be re-designated so that they can achieve legal recognition and status. As noted earlier, when the proposed South African Draft Children's Bill 2002 becomes law, the situation and status of the shelters will change and will solve their financial situation. Under-funding of shelters means poor quality in service delivery, program development, management, poor staff remuneration and consequently low morale, all these factors impact on shelter's service delivery. In this regard, and because the shelters are perceived to be the best form of interventions their financial support is crucial in the delivery of services. Shelters managers and staff felt that they could do more if they had resources (financial and material). There was need for some help so that they could develop structures and systems that could ensure that they became more answerable, accountable and transparent in their management and the use of funds. The difference between the children's homes and the shelters should be narrowed down and a link established so that both children's homes and shelters can be valued on the same level. As maters stand, phases one represent shelters while phases two shelters reflect children's homes. The present circumstances give privileges to children living in the children's homes at the expense of children living in shelters. 108
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A Study of Shelters for Street Chil
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I extend my sincer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 0 NE 1 IN
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LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Showing the
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children's homes. In 1996 the Europ
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specifically in its policies (http:
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Hosken, (2004) in an article titled
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1.5 The Purpose and Objective of th
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names of the shelters have been ren
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1.8.2 Organizationalll1eory Shelter
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Chapter Four: Data analysis. The ch
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communities posing enormous challen
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To perceive human social reality as
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Shelter's intervention/reintegratio
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2.4 Definitions The focus of the re
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enforcement officers, outreach work
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3.1 Introduction CHAPTER THREE RESE
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given to the demands of shelter pro
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views and perceptions over the topi
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3.4 The Researcher in Qualitative I
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which means children there, are sta
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paid to the recording devices. The
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esearchers need to agree or disagre
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• Staff morale was high when moti
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3.11 Ethical Considerations Babbie
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4.1 Introduction CHAPTER FOUR OATA
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4.2. Shelters Services and Programs
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children with their families where
Page 65 and 66: y the shelter's philosophy, goals,
Page 67 and 68: 4.2.5 Shelter Routine and Regulatio
Page 69 and 70: 4.2.6 Policy on Visitors The four s
Page 71 and 72: children played; this was done depe
Page 73 and 74: living and/or working on the street
Page 75 and 76: 4.3.1 Structure and physical locati
Page 77 and 78: Apart from management of shelters,
Page 79 and 80: Regarding transparency, accountabil
Page 81 and 82: Staff expressed that children shoul
Page 83 and 84: was immediately reassuring to child
Page 85 and 86: will to choose whether to or not li
Page 87 and 88: Sangoma (traditional doctor) and I
Page 89 and 90: Look at this shelter look at the do
Page 91 and 92: preferable. Participants continued
Page 93 and 94: It is okay when one is going with a
Page 95 and 96: 5.1 Introduction CHAPTER FIVE DISCU
Page 100 and 101: The challenges of children living a
Page 102 and 103: differed greatly from the feelings
Page 104 and 105: een on the streets for a very long
Page 106 and 107: from the overseas. Some of the loca
Page 108 and 109: programs to communities and familie
Page 110 and 111: explained, was their priority. It i
Page 112 and 113: streets, consequently, shelters int
Page 114 and 115: perspectives, understanding, and ca
Page 118 and 119: 6.1.3 Conclusions Regarding Researc
Page 120 and 121: and appreciation that the children
Page 122 and 123: Shelters could endeavour to reinfor
Page 124 and 125: The effort is to move the children
Page 126 and 127: macroeconomic factors, the local mi
Page 128 and 129: REFERENCES Acker, A. (1986). Childr
Page 130 and 131: Brown, D. C. (1996). 'Why ask why:
Page 132 and 133: Gronbjen, K. A. (1992). Nonprofit H
Page 134 and 135: Mills C. W. (1971). The Sociologica
Page 136 and 137: Swart, J. (1987). 'Street Children:
Page 138 and 139: Street children in http://allafrica
Page 140 and 141: 3.1.5. Does the shelter have any re
Page 142 and 143: 4. Social and Recreation 4.1. How a
Page 144 and 145: Follow-up questions What are the sh
Page 146 and 147: APPENDIX 3 FOCUS GROUPS CHILDREN Pl
Page 148: 6. Shelter routine and Discipline:
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