Durban: Significantly Reducing the Number of Children Living on the Streets

Durban is the third largest economic center and the busiest port in South Africa, and is a sprawling city of 3.5 million people. Although the city boasts a diversified economic base, including government, manufacturing and tourism sectors, the city is confronted with challenges of uneven physical, and socioeconomic, development: approximately 23 percent of Durban’s population over the age of 20 has not completed primary schooling, and crime is prevalent. The victimization of Durban’s 500 homeless youth—who are subjected to hunger, gang violence, abuse and prostitution on a daily basis—is also a growing concern. 

The Urbis program in Durban focused on building the capacity of Umthombo, a local organization staffed by many former street children, to raise public awareness about the trauma that homeless youth face, develop effective programs to improve their lives and help take them off the streets, and to advocate for the implementation of informed strategies in South African municipalities. Often viewed as “crime generators” and an embarrassment to Durban’s public image, street children risk being forcibly relocated by the government to the countryside or to residential facilities. The 2010 World Cup presented a unique opportunity to dramatically reduce the number of children living on the streets in Durban. Urbis therefore partnered with Umthombo to radically change the way street children are treated throughout Durban and to successfully remove and reintegrate hundreds of street children into their communities.

The Urbis-Umthombo Solution

Urbis adopted a three-pronged capacity building strategy to help Umthombo address the challenge of homeless youth:

The Urbis Impact

Over the course of the program, the Urbis-Umthombo partnership created better safety nets and integration mechanisms for Durban’s street children. The Urbis team’s organizational and technical guidance increased Umthombo’s proficiency in its day-to-day operations, allowing Umthombo to dedicate its efforts to new program development. Urbis also supported the development of a five-year growth and fundraising strategic plan to promote the organization’s long-term sustainability. Further bolstering the quality of Umthombo’s services and advancing its professional image, 15 of the organization’s staff members obtained certification from the National Association of Child Care Workers. These organizational and strategic capacity building activities directly supported Umthombo’s positive impact on homeless youth, and the organization now performs more frequent follow-ups on the reintegration of children into their families. This is critical, as a strengthened familial support network provides stability for the children, and prevents them from returning to the dangers of street life.

The Urbis program also supported Umthombo’s advocacy and public awareness efforts. First, through Umthombo’s advocacy efforts, the Durban municipality decreased forced round-ups of street children and incorporated Umthombo’s city-wide strategy for street children into its official municipal policy. In March 2010, Umthombo organized the first ever Deloitte Street Child World Cup, with teams from eight countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The tournament drew public attention to the marginalization of street children, and culminated in the creation of a Street Child Manifesto. This document, created by the children themselves, will form the basis for new campaigns advocating for the rights of street children. Finally, Umthombo’s new website, developed with Urbis support and launched in November 2010, raises the organization’s visibility and increases its advocacy capacity.

If you wish to learn more about the Urbis program's work in Durban, South Africa, please click on the following link:

Umthombo Street Children Homepage