“Her kids went to school but she kept me at home to do housework. When I asked if I could go to school, she threw me out because she couldn’t pay the fees.”

“I started working at neighbours’ houses, washing dishes to earn money. At night I slept on the streets or rented a dirty room with friends. There were no bed sheets and lots of bedbugs and cockroaches.”

“I was also dirty and had no clean clothes. A few times I was attacked by older street boys who stole my clothes..“

“One day, two Street Child of Sierra Leone staff invited me to the street child centre. When I told them about my past, they said they could help me. I was fed and given clothes and, if anything bad happened, I had somewhere to turn. I wasn’t alone anymore.”

“Street Child helped me to go back to school and now I want to be a lawyer. I want to tell other street children they can do better.”

Street Child of Sierra Leone saves hundreds of street children across Sierra Leone each year. It provides counselling, clothing, medical care, food and a safe place, and unites children with a family member or guardian. It also funds the children’s return to education or training and offers ongoing financial support to their families.

You can find out more about Street Child of Sierra Leone at: www.street-child.co.uk.