This section is especially important as we want to make students aware of their connection to other children in a completely different part of the world. Though there are some obvious differences, many of the issues that these children face are not so different from the ones American children face. Providing students with this information will also make Sili's struggles and triumphs make more sense.
There are many orphans in Senegal as a result extreme poverty and due to the AIDS pandemic. As recently as 2002, a horrible shipwreck left countless children orphaned and alone. Over half of the Senegalese population (51%) is under the age of 16. The country has suffered the effects of illiteracy as barely a quarter of the students who are actually able to enroll in school actually complete their studies.
Many children are forced out of their homes to become "street children" because of difficulties at home. These challenges can range from death in the family to child exploitation. Once they leave the family unit, these children often migrate to urban areas where they must fend for themselves.
According to government statistics, nearly all street children are addicted to some sort of drug (usually glue or marijuana) and an overwhelming majority (71%) have faced violent abuse. Of those who survive the malnutrition and poor health conditions, many are forced into prostitution. Below are some is a glimpse of their life in their own words:
"I am attracted to the practices of begging and stealing on the street as they help me get money to buy food. Taking drugs allows me to sleep whatever the weather."
"I do not want to stay in the hospital. I want them to give me back my baby, but when I call for her, they tell me I am nothing but a street girl."
"I live to honor my family, buy my family was killed and no longer exists. What values do you expect me to have now?"
"Here in the street we have total freedom. There are no rules. I take drugs when I want; no one tells me to go to bed or to get up at a certain time…there are no constraints that exist within a family."
"That man, who is a friend of my family, who had supported us and even built our home after having lived in a hut, it is with him that I first had sex" (Street boy and victim of a pedophile).