Ideas Box: A portable media library for street children and young adult in Bujumbura and N'Gozi

Context

Despite their extreme vulnerability, Children who Live in the Streets (CLS) in Burundi do not have access to basic services (such as education, protection, health and security). Left to themselves, these children develop survival strategies (work, theft, begging, violence, etc.). An enquiry undertaken in 2010 in the country's three major cities quantified the number of street children at 3,253, of whom 2,661 were in Bujumbura and 401 in Ngozi. This number is likely to have increased since the socio-political crisis of 2015.

To offer a coordinated, effective and structured response to this phenomenon, the State of Burundi adopted a national strategy in 2014. 

In this respect, Libraries Without Borders, using the Ideas Box as a tool, is proposing to increase, for street children and young adult in Bujumbura and N'Gozi, access to education and literacy, to encourage their social, familial and educational reintegration. Libraries Without Borders uses technology to offer an innovative response to formal and informal education, literacy and capacity building.

This project is part of the flagship programme of Monaco's Official Development Assistance to help vulnerable children and street children.

Project owner

Libraries Without Borders.

Overall objective

Offer an appropriate, integrated response to improving access to education, literacy, child protection and access to information for street children adult in Bujumbura and N'Gozi.

Specific objectives

• Improve access to and the quality of education and training for street children and young adult in Bujumbura and N'Gozi
• Increase for street children and youg adult  in Bujumbura and N'Gozi protection and integration

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries:
More than 800 street children and youg adult  and local NGOs.

Indirect beneficiaries:
Teachers, young people in the host community, and the host community.