Orphaned

There are single orphans and double orphans!
Loss of one parent means that the surviving parent (mother or father) must provide for the family. Children are left alone while the parent grows the crops or earns the money. For double orphans the options are harder. If they are lucky they will be cared for by an uncle or aunt, or maybe a grandparent. If not so lucky they will fend for themselves.

The statistics in Tanzania are frightening, and these numbers are reflected in many other places in Africa. Average life expectancy = 50 years (give or take a few years). Median age = around 17 years. AIDS incidence = 8-10% officially. In towns located on borders, or major transport routes that rate will at least double.

• E. is a grandmother, who had six children. She now cares for 24 grandchildren providing shelter, food and education where she can. With so many to care for school fees are a huge burden. A small business and a little bit of land enables them to survive. Help of friends and sponsors pays some of the children school expenses. Each day is a struggle.
  
• N. is a teacher, with only part time work. Her husband is a small trader, buying and selling fruit and vegetables. They care for their two children, and N's younger sister. They are trying to build a life and a future for their three dependents.
• D. wants to get a job to support his wife and two children. He dreams of becoming a truck driver. Selling produce at the market allows him to get by, but he cannot save the money he needs to pay for a driving course.
• E. is a double orphan. She has access to some family land and grows crops. She managed to complete secondary school. Her wider family do not support her, and she is trying to gain tertiary qualifications to secure her future. It is not possible without a 'sponsor'.
  
• M. is the eldest of four children and a single oprhan. His mother is a farmer, supporting and educating her children from the family plot. He aspires to a business career. Tertiary study is only possible because of sponsors.
  
• S. wants to complete high school, and is enrolled to study two languages. He works in the market to earn money for fees but does not earn enough to pay for his fees and living expenses.
  

Children's Prison

When we visited the numbers were down, less than twenty children were in custody ... there have been up to fifty or more. Aged between ten and seventeen they sleep in the two dormitories, one for boys and one for girls. The government provides the food - maize meal and a few vegetables. The recreation area is a packed earth yard with a basketball ring. The current warden is a 'good guy' - and their recreation equipment has not been taken by the guards.

Children help in preparing meals, and work in the vegetable garden that surrounds the buildings. Some of the garden is for the warden - one of the bonuses of his position that supplements his income. The warden lives on site, and is on call for 24 hours a day with no relief. The rest of the garden is for the prison - it supplies some vegetables for food, and others are traded for necessities.

A classroom and workshop promised by the government is not complete. Half-finished walls reach slowly to the sky, and the floors are covered with tall weeds. Work began, but somehow the project ran out of funds. Visitors still come weekly to offer some education in the dining room and some hope for the children.

Why are these children locked up? Reasons vary - a few are for major crimes, most are for petty theft. They have no-one to plead for them, no-one to care for them. Most are orphans, and at least now have a roof over their heads and some food each day.

Why are there so few child prisoners now? A local lawyer and some Christian groups have been taking an active interest in the cases of these children, working to ensure that the cost of survival for these children is not years in prison for stealing a little bit of food.