Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index
Previous Features | Send mail to The Voice


Children fight to survive on the streets
Action missionaries discuss conditions street children face

John Maurico had never colored before. Maurico, a Colombian child, was malnourished and had a small vocabulary when he arrived at a Bogota children's forum sponsored by Action International Ministry. Action International missionary Philip Legal took John's hand and showed him how to use a crayon. "As I talked to him, I could tell he had come from an abusive background," Mr. Legal explained. "The next day I woke up early and found John was at my door. He followed me around all day. This child was looking for love," Mr. Legal said. He later found out that John and his two younger siblings had been abandoned on the streets of Bogota.

According to the Colombian government, 200,000 children under the age of 5 live on Bogota's streets. Mr. Legal, who has worked in Bogota since January 1998, works with children who are considered "at risk." They are classified as "at risk" because they come from abusive backgrounds and economic hardship and are often malnourished. Mr. Legal searches for these kids on the Bogota streets and offers them aid. He feeds as many as he can and finds medical attention for the many injuries and sicknesses the kids suffer.

Action and World Vision publications stated that about 75,000 street children are in Manila, the Philippines. Nearly 3 million orphans will be in Zambia and Malawi by the end of next year. Every day, approximately 34,000 children under the age of 5 die tragic, preventable deaths from diseases that immunization could have prevented.

According to Mr. Legal, street children are thankful when they can eat once a day. Many of them sniff glue regularly to help ease the hunger pains. They travel in gangs, and try to earn money doing odd jobs. Gangs may wash car windows at intersections, try to sell candy on buses, sing for shoppers or shine shoes. Street children seek safe, warm places to sleep. The lucky ones may have a blanket to cover up with. Everyone else huddles together under cardboard. "Their main need is to receive Christ," Action Director Rex Carlaw stressed. "Their situation is kind of hopeless. If they receive Christ, they often have a change of motivation." A change of motivation may lead to street kids giving up glue sniffing and help them get off the streets.

A little boy named Johnny is one of their success stories. Johnny went to camp. He had received the Lord and was going to church. He was invited to go to a new Bible school. "The director asked Johnny to go to Mexico City because he wasn't fitting in very well at the school," Mr. Carlaw said. On the way to Mexico City, Johnny led one of the boys he was traveling with to salvation. The director was so impressed that he relented and took Johnny back to the Bible school. Mr. Carlaw said Christians in the United States can help with the needs of these and other street children. "First of all, pray. Second, get in contact with a mission group," he said. "Third, help in short-term missions work. Fourth, give money, and fifth, collect materials for Action's street children camps."

"Christian parents can tell their children at the dinner table that this is more than a street child eats in a day," Mr. Legal said. He also asked that Christians pray for the needs and for more workers. Mr. Legal wishes that "people would become aware of the children's needs spiritually. The bottom thing is these children fight to survive."