DRC Street Children Project

closed

The objective of the Street Children Project for Congo, Democratic Republic of is to improve the delivery mechanisms of prevention and support services for street children, primarily in Kinshasa. There are three components to the project, the first component being prevention. The project will also finance efforts to keep children in school, liaising with the Ministry of Education to ensure coordination and an efficient use of available resources (including the International Development Association (IDA)-financed education project). As experience shows that dropping out of school is often the first step toward life in the streets, many local actors support school attendance for at-risk children as a preventive measure. The second component is the assistance. This component will finance a set of activities aimed at improving coverage and quality of services for street children, with special attention to street girls. Finally, the third component is the capacity building, coordination, and project management. This component will provide for technical assistance and training to strengthen Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and National Solidarity (MINAS') capacity to: (i) develop standards for activities targeting street children; (ii) coordinate the interventions of different stakeholders; and (iii) monitor and evaluate ongoing interventions. When relevant, capacity building will also include staff of other ministries (e.g., Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Gender, Family and Children).