Mimi in Angola

• The root of all good June 2007
• Can boys be witches? June 2007
• Dressed as a gentleman June 2007

Dressed as a gentleman

Photo: Louise Dyring / Save the Children

It is very early in the morning. I have gone to visit a bombed out independence monument. The sun is rising as I walk down the stairs of the impressive, curved steps made of stone. At the end of the monument a thin plume of smoke is coming out of some bushes. This is the home for a group of street children. I am very anxious to meet them.

The whole area is – as in most parts of Angola – unbelievably dirty. Plastic trash, excrement, metal scrap and used condoms cover the ground. A tremendous contrast to the pompous monument it once was. This used to be the place where great speeches and festive activities where held. This was before the 30 years of war that turned Angola into ruins. Thankfully this tragic war is over.

Wounds of the soul
The boys are hesitant to approach me. My guide is a devoted volunteer who has set her mind on making a difference for the street children of Uíge. She explains to boys who I am and they all agree to talk to me. They even agree to be photographed.

The youngest of the children left before I arrived. They were simply too afraid. The fear is deeply entrenched within everyone who witnessed the war. That includes everyone over five years of age. There is a distinct lack of trust in foreigners due to decades of foreign suppression. Each family has memories of the cruel events that took place in their country.

Dressed as a gentleman
I am talking to Gomez. He is dressed in an old and very dirty shirt that used to be very elegant. It reaches his knees. A pair of pinstriped trousers that are almost falling apart complete the picture. Gomez has lived in the bush for almost a year. His stepmother did not like him and one day she told his father bad things about Gomez. His father beat him. When he was 15 Gomez ran away from home.

Gomez is an intelligent boy. He went to school for four years which is reflected in the way he talks. He is telling me how he came to the city – alone and empty handed. The only thing he had was the clothes on his body.

I ask how the boys are getting by in the intense rainy season. They have managed to get a hold of a big piece of plastic that gives them shelter from the rain. The 16 boys between the ages of 8 and 18 survive by carrying groceries for people on the local marked. They also indulge in a little stealing here and there, I presume.

The school… the root to all good
The boys, of course, have dreams. All of them used to go to school. Some completed 2nd grade, some finished 3rd grade. Gomez made it through 4th grade.

”Back to school” is their first wish for their future. “A roof to sleep under” is the second wish. To attend school they need to be registered. To be registered they need a home. Pencils and books cost money. It may not be much to us, but it is an enormous amount to the street children of Uíge. Donate now to help rewrite the future