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Awareness skits bring hope and healing to Kinshasa

In the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) beats the rhythm of Kinshasa. More than 7 million people call it home, but it also plays host to roughly 20,000 street children, reports MNN.

Every Child Ministries notes that their families have accused the vast majority of these street kids of being witches. As a result, they were either abandoned or forcibly evicted from the shelter of family and home.

Other times, it's either the poverty or abuse in the home that drives the children away to join street children gangs.

Once on the streets, they suffer widespread discrimination and violence by average citizens. According to the United Nations' Children Fund, the wide perception is that the kids are involved in petty crime, begging, and prostitution.

For the past several years, ECM has been ministering to street children, primarily boys, around a market area across from the Teachers' Training University. A regular Fellowship for Street Children with Bible teaching and worship services has been established. ECM has been helping these boys with two meals a week.

Every Child Ministries' Lorella Rouster says their street kids have been developing skits to talk about what it's really like to live on the streets. The team performs their skits at nearby local churches within walking distance for both safety and practical reasons (no vehicle).

An interesting pattern emerged. Rouster says nearly every time the team performed, there was a family in the church with a child living on the streets. "God uses those skits to touch their hearts. Then, as a result, those parents end up going out, searching for their kids to persuade them to come home."

As the pattern repeated itself, Rouster decided it was time to formalize it into a program called Restore a Family. "In the beginning, it was just some skits the kids did. We have seen how effective it's been, so we're making it into a program and enabling our experienced street workers to do more follow-up with the families."

Already, the program is expanding. Rouster says they want to take the program to other churches throughout Kinshasa. Why? "Whenever families can be restored, that's a plus for the spread of the Gospel, for the church, and for society as a whole."

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TAGS: Democratic Republic of Congo street children Every Child Ministries poverty abuse prostitution Fellowship for Street Children Restore a Family

[05/04/2010]

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