Reaching street children through music
Life for children on the streets in Mbale, Uganda, can be a living nightmare. Our Ugandan partner, who requested a shipment from Crossroads, describes how street children are often beaten and raped by older boys and adults, and scour garbage dumps to find some leftovers to eat and survive.
Crossroads’ partner is an NGO in 
Mbale, who is reaching out to these street children in a unique way: through music! By taking children from the streets into their centre and teaching them how to play music, it gives them something which is beyond price: confidence and a positive self-image. Since starting less than 10 years ago, they have seen hundreds of children pass through their programmes, many going on to reunite with their families, and some even securing jobs as music teachers around the country. The band makes some money from performances, which allows the children to afford a basic living away from the street.
In order to help more children, this NGO has applied for a shipment of goods from Crossroads. An especially urgent request is for band instruments and equipment: brass instruments, band uniforms, amplifiers and more. Giving any of these goods will help bring real change to the lives of street children in Uganda!
When Henry was 10, his father passed away, leaving his family in poverty. Shortly after, Henry ran away from home, hoping to find a better life on the streets.
Instead he fell into a life of drugs and violence. He begged at bus stops and walked around town looking for scrap metals to sell to scrap dealers for a few coins. He was raped and abused by older boys when he wanted to secure a place to sleep overnight. “Life was not as easy as I thought it would be,” says Henry now.
Thankfully, Henry found our partner’s centre and was given the opportunity to leave the streets and join their band. Today, Henry performs in front of an audience and is going to school. “Music saved my life,”he says. He has confidence and hope for a much more meaningful life.
Louis’ parents were very worried when, at 14 years old, his special school closed its doors and he was left with nowhere that could cater for his special needs. Louis, who has autism and cannot talk, has attended special schools since he was 3 years old. Most of the schools his parents could find would only take young children, rather than teenagers or adults. They worried Louis would never learn the life skills he needed to be independent, or even hope to find a job. Thankfully, they discovered our partner’s school and now at 20 years old, Louis is thriving. 
37.7% of Uganda’s population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Orphans and vulnerable children may find it impossible to break free from the poverty cycle without the kind of intervention that our partners are giving.
When Gerald was only 10, both his parents died, leaving him in the care of his 16-year-old sister. Gerald, not yet a teenager, started selling cocaine to make enough money to survive and to go to school. Gerald’s sister found her ‘escape’ by leaving home and marrying quickly, and young, which left Gerald completely alone, living in a 2-bedroomed grass hut that was in disrepair and falling down around him.
Albania is the 4th poorest country in Europe. The Dibra region is among the poorest regions of Albania. People living in Dibra, Northern Albania, are the ones left behind. Here, unemployment is high, people are migrating in search of jobs and healthcare is scarce. “Pediatricians say it is difficult for them to provide the right diagnosis because they can’t do the right examination. They said that they only have stethoscope and their knowledge and that’s all.”
Dibra is one of the poorest areas in the Albania. Incomes are so low for families that most of them are only surviving. Emigration is sometimes a solution, but this creates its own difficulties for the family or even for the community. Agriculture is one of the remaining sources of income, but farmers often can’t sell their produce (because of the geographical location, road infrastructure, etc). Many families receive social assistance, but say the amount must stretch so far that even a sack of flour is too much to afford.
