Country watch. Tanzania
Rajani, R.; Kudrati, M.
Aids Health Promotion Exchange 1994(1): 9-10
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 1013-7785 PMID: 12287667 Document Number: 284628
The Kuleana Center for Children's Rights in Mwanza, Tanzania, is using peer education, focus group discussions, and individual counseling to decrease high-risk sexual behavior on the part of street children. These program activities seek to raise the children's self-esteem, engage them in trusting and respectful relationships, and teach sex-related negotiation skills. The Center is also involved in advocacy work to build compassion and respect for these children within the community, thereby decreasing their harassment on the streets and isolation. Incidents of street children being held in police custody or prison, where they are frequently sexually assaulted, have significantly decreased as a result. To promote the health of these children at high risk of sexually transmitted diseases, the Center operates a small clinic to address basic health problems and runs training sessions for health workers on the special needs of this population. The Center's future goals include formation of a street children's mobile theater group, activities designed to promote group identity and solidarity, and research on the physical and sexual abuse of young girls working as domestic laborers.