Give street children in Burundi a future

While the political situation in Burundi has continued to deteriorate, and violence is reported on an almost daily basis, the children at New Generation are looking to demonstrate the reality of living peacefully as a community.

The reality of the situation in the country is that prices are rising (especially for food) and nothing can be taken for granted, including whether schools will be open one day to the next. So running the project is hard and life is unpredictable for the children and adults at New Generation.

But in the midst of this uncertainty, six members of New Generation are travelling to Rio as ambassadors for Burundi at the Street Child Games in March 2016. They will participate in Olympic-themed sports, celebrating the right of all children to play and express themselves in a safe setting. At the heart of the games is a model-UN style Congres where street-connected children will lead the discussion on the issues they face. The outcome of the Congress will be resolution to be presented to governments, the United Nations and a letter to the IOC regarding the rights of vulnerable children around Mega Sporting Events.

And the children from New Generation will travel back to Burundi, hopefully to inspire the other street children who live as part of New Generation, and those still on the streets, that things can change and children's voices can be heard.