Protection and integration of street children in Tirana
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Albania
Project lead partner/organization and contact person (e-mail, links) project website
Save the Children
E-mail: info.albania@savethechildren.org
Web address: www.scalbania.org
Project information – start and end date (if available)
24 months
Summary (goals and purposes of the project)
Street working and begging children face a number of challenges with respect to their economic conditions and their ability to have their basic needs met. Such extreme marginalization affects their personality, their physical conditions, health, and their social behaviour and leaves them at the extreme margins of society. Their situation violates everything they are entitled to according the UN Convention of the rights of the child. A majority of these children are unregistered at the civil stat.
Results of the project
152 children in total have frequented and benefited from non-formal educational activities conducted in the centre.23 children are enrolled in the mainstream public schools academic year 2011-2012 ; 83 children are supported with books, school sets and didactic materials by the Action; 72 children have participated and received information from weekly group discussions conducted in the center, by being assisted and facilitated by social workers and cultural mediators on issues such as abuse and exploitation.
HIV/AIDS, trafficking, drug abuse, safe migration; 275 parents (157 women; 118 men) have benefited from individual and group discussions on health issues, importance of civil registration and education; 421 children (220 girls; 201 boys) have been reached and identified through outreach work. Information and assistance is provided daily to children and their families from the outreach team on the street and place of living through regular monitoring of the situation of children in the street, identification of non-registered children.
Support of family members for the completion of the documentation for registration in Civil Status office; 122 children (67 girls and 55 boys) received health assistance including equipment with health books, vaccination and medicines as result of direct accompany to services and referral to agencies. 29 children have been vaccinated and 12 children have been equipped with health books in Tirana, Berat and Elbasan from direct contact and mediation with health polyclinics;45 children (26 girls, 19 boys) not in possession of birth registration certificate have been identified out of which 14 children have been registered in National Civil Register.
A core group of 15 professionals representing statutory services from social services at the mini-municipal level (social administrators), education authorities (schools), health (polyclinics) and police (community police zone) is established in close relation to the project; 16 adolescents out of 18 identified have successfully completed the literacy classes and job skills training organized in the centre premises.
Who will benefit from this project (target group)
265 (192 boys; 73 girls) children have directly benefited from services offered and activities conducted in the center out of which 132 children have been reached and identified through outreach work.289 other children (156 girls; 133 boys) have been reached and contacted through outreach work. 15 Professionals from public health institutions, education system, social services, police 275 parents/ community members (157 women; 118 men)
Sources of funding
Council of Europe
Link
www.scalbania.org
http://goodpracticeroma.ppa.coe.int/en/good-practice/protection-and-integration-street-children-tirana