Msamaria Center for Street Children

Home Description

OUR VISION is to help the marginalized children of Moshi and Arusha to realize their full potential and become valued and respected members of their community. Our MISSION is to reach run away, homeless or abandoned children, regardless of religious faith or ethnic group, and assist them to meet their basic needs. In the process, we enable them to cultivate self respect and develop their skills needed to integrate them back into the community.

OUR AIM is to be an outreach to runaway, homeless or abandoned children who lack resources or family support, to reside in a normal domestic situation.

We offer children friendship, to enable them to cultivate self respect and feel valued as individuals.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ORPHANS AND STREET CHILDREN IN MOSHI AND ARUSHA?

Poverty and other socio-economic factors lead to hundreds of children leaving their homes to look for good fortunes elsewhere. They end up on the street with the hope of fulfilling their expectations but instead find torture and harassment. These children survive by begging, stealing, pick-pocketing, scavenging through dumpsters and prostitution. Children sleep on shop verandas, on sidewalks, and in dump sites.

The Meaning of the name

In July 2007, a group of Social Workers led by Folkward Mapunda, founded Msamaria Center for Street Children. The name, Msamaria, was named from the Bible story, "The Good Samaritan": "A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him." (Luke 10: 30 -34)

Our Establishment

The Msamaria Center for street children is a non-governmental organization providing support and care to street children, orphans, families and communities. Msamaria is a new Center for boys only, which has a capacity of accommodating 50 children. Their age ranges from 5 to 16 years.

OUR PROGRAM

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