Most of the street children at CIS are runaway children. They leave home due to the presence of environmental and personal factors such as

• Family conflict and tension
• Poverty
• Separation and divorce
• Alcoholism in the home
• Negligence and abuse
• Underdevelopment of rural areas
• Behavioural problems
• Glamour of the big city

Once children arrive in Dar es Salaam, they must struggle to survive. They have no shelter, and, even if they have relatives in town, these family members are not eager to receive them. So they survive through begging, small jobs in and around markets, washing cars, small theft, and prostitution.

In order to cope, some children begin sniffing glue, smoking marijuana, and abusing alcohol.

In this context we have put together a program that focuses on helping the children reform and reunite with their families and communities. Our 3 to 4 year Mbezi residential programme offers:

• Basic needs like attention, love, food, clothing, shelter, and health care
• Basic education in Kiswahili, English, mathematics, and business administration
• Vocational training in masonry, carpentry, and agriculture (crops and livestock production)
• Individual and group and therapy, regular meetings, and daily responsibilities, and a predictable secure daily routine
• Guidance focused on teaching children how to live and behave properly in a community
• Family tracing and reintegration program
• Athletic and creative/performance opportunities to help children come to terms with and exorcise past trauma.