Blog author: Lucy Rolington, Senior Grant and Projects Officer
Consortium for Street Children have been working in partnership with Red Nose Day US since 2017, and are now in Phase 3 of our ‘Keeping Street Connected Children Safe’ project.
“Red Nose Day US have been a trusted partner and advisor to the Consortium for Street Children for the past 4 years, thanks to the generous supporters from across the USA. Our work for street children, together with our grassroots global network, has gone from strength to strength with their ongoing support. Key to this successful partnership is our mutual commitment to the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, CSC and RND both focus on support to both immediate direct service to children in poverty, and the necessary work to also prevent children in the future from having to live on the streets. This combination of immediate response and preventative longer-term work is the backbone to all the work that we do with our project ‘Keeping Street Connected Children Safe’”
– Caroline Ford, (CSC Chief Executive Jan 2017- Feb 2021)
On this Red Nose Day (May 21st 2020), we are speaking to some of our current partners as we look back on what we’ve managed to achieve, look forward to how this work will be affected by COVID-19, and celebrate our partnership with Red Nose Day US.
Bahay Tuluyan, Metro Manila, 2019
Bahay Tuluyan – The Philippines
The funding received through Red Nose Day US has helped Bahay Tuluyan to continue reaching children in street situations during what has been a difficult period in the Philippines. During the administration’s war on drugs, children without safe homes to go to have been extremely vulnerable. Thanks to the Red Nose Day US partnership, Bahay Tuluyan have been able to continue working with this group, not only directly on the street, but also through the highest policy and legislative mechanisms in the Philippines.
“Throughout this process we have been excited to be able to meaningfully involve children and youth in street situations themselves, giving them opportunities to directly share their experiences and concerns with senior members of government. Through this process of collaboration we are moving closer to having a national plan of action for children in street situations which will be a very big positive step for the Philippines.”
– Catherine Scerri, Deputy Director, Bahay Tuluyan
The COVID-19 situation has challenged us all in many ways. In the Philippines it has prompted Bahay Tuluyan to look for new ways to reach their target groups. They have responded in the early period with direct service provision including food relief packages, shelter and funeral assistance. They have also helped to monitor and report violations of children’s rights, while working with government to ensure that safeguards for children are in place and enforced. As the pandemic evolves, Bahay Tuluyan are looking for ways to continue to enable children and youth from street situations to engage effectively and fully within society and to stay protected from the various threats that the pandemic poses.
“Our collaboration with CSC has been extremely empowering. This network has enabled us to seek out new solutions to improve our direct practice interventions and bolstered our commitment to improving the policy framework in the Philippines by offering us examples of places where this has been very successful. The technical support that CSC has provided, in many different forms – including adapting the General Comment No.21 for our context, supporting us with our international human rights reporting work and enabling us to participate in network conferences – has been invaluable. We no longer feel we are working in isolation, but feel connected to a broad network of passionate advocates.“
– Catherine Scerri, Deputy Director, Bahay Tuluyan
Save Street Children Uganda (SASCU)
CSC are really excited to be entering into a new partnership with SASCU as part of the Red Nose Day US ‘Keeping Street-Connected Children Safe’ project. SASCU are an Ugandan-based NGO, working to promote and protect the rights of children in street situations and other vulnerable children in Uganda, a new area of work for this project.
As part of this grant, SASCU will enhance their service delivery on-the ground, and be supported to continue their advocacy and awareness raising activities, where they will engage District Local Governments and other key stakeholders in Uganda in order to better prioritise the needs of children in street situations, and enable them to access safe spaces and other services. A key feature of this project will be the meaningful participation, and the children in street situations that SASCU work with will be empowered and given opportunities to voice their views on the matters that affect them at all levels of the project.
Alongside the above programme, CSC have worked with SASCU to adapt their project in order to respond to COVID-19, and the challenges this presents vulnerable populations as this unfolds. SASCU have allocated funds to provide counselling and emergency services, such as temporary shelter, food packages, and sanitisers, alongside a plan to develop and share policy and media briefs to highlight the need for state and other key non-state stakeholders to prioritise – not target – children in street situations throughout this pandemic.
“Red Nose Day US’s adaptability, flexibility, and focus on what matters most for children has been a highlight for myself and the CSC team. In particular, this is demonstrated in their rapid but considered response to COVID-19, which has allowed our partners on the ground to adapt to the new and unfolding reality that this pandemic presents to the lives of street children.”
– Caroline Ford, (CSC Chief Executive Jan 2017- Feb 2021)
For more information on our Red Nose Day and other projects, visit our project page, or contact Lucy Rolington (Senior Grants and Projects Officer) on lucy@streetchildren.org.