Bellamy visits Drop in Centre For Street Children  in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, December 6 (WIC)—UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, who is here to take part in the African Development Forum-2000, today visited one of the two drop in centres for street children in Addis Ababa.

On arrival at the centere, Mrs. Bellamy was welcomed by officials of the Addis Ababa Labour and Social Affairs Bureau, and was presented with a bouquet by one of the children.  She then visited the facilities of the center.

The drop-in Centre, which is run in partnership with GOAL an Irish NGO and a counter part government agency, receives approximately 300 street children a day, in two shifts.  The majority of the children reside in UNICEF- supported night shelters that GOAL manages.

It caters particularly for 'hard-core' street children, who are not enrolled in formal education.  Most of them are self-employed, and as part of the effort to teaching them to be responsible in managing their own life, they are charged a nominal fee of 30 cents for their meals.  Those who, for various reasons, do not work are given free meals.

The centre also provides them free access to non-formal education, recreation facilities, skills training, health education and care.

The drop in centre is one of the many centres being funded by UNICEF in Ethiopia.  similar centres are also found in many regional towns, including in Bahir Dar, Aswassa and Nazareth.

Meanwhile, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Ballamy today called on African leaders to join a global campaign to abolish all education fees and other costs for primary school age children.

"Under threat from the AIDS pandemic, children must be able to turn to schools as places of learning, inclusion, stability and life-saving information about HIV/AIDS. No child should be barred entry, " she said.

Bellamy regretted that in a 30-trillion global economy, the majority of school-age children in developing countries are not going to school because they can't afford school fees and the cost of educational material.

Urging national governments to make more money available for the education sector, Bellamy said "the International community most relieve the debt that siphons resources from schools. And donors must make good on their commitment to increase official development assistance to 0.7 per cent of GDP".

The campaign to abolish all fees and other costs for primary school-age children is part of a broader UNICEF effort to place education at the top of the agenda in fighting HIV/AIDS.