Cheka Sana - Tanzania & Uganda (CDD)
Cheka Sana works on the ground in two countries to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable children on the planet. They strive for a world where all children are equal, and no child has to live or work on the streets. The long-term strategic aim of CSF is a combination of education, child protection and livelihood support to address the social, economic and structural issues that underpin today’s street children crisis in Tanzania and Uganda. Their vision is embodied in three areas - protect children on the streets, shift local perception and hold governments responsible.
Specifically, Cheka Sana runs outreach work to children and young people living on the streets, offers transitional accommodation to girls and boys under 14, carries out intensive family therapy and reunification work, supporting children back home and into education. With 14-24 year olds, Cheka Sana enables young people on the streets (especially young women including those involved in commercial sex work) to form association groups to support each other and find alternative incomes. Its trauma- informed approach, rooted in young people’s strengths and capacities, is highly effective with children and young people. They run a day centre for children still living on the streets, as well as street football programmes, regular outreach, and self-defence training to build the assertiveness and self-esteem of girls and young women particularly those involved in sex work.
