Operation Mercy Sudan - Street Boys Centres

	Operation Mercy operates four live in centres, two in Northern Sudan housing 38 boys in Geraf and another housing 26 boys in Omdurman. We also have centres in Southern Sudan at Renk housing 40 boys, and in Nyala, Darfur housing 20 boys. The centres are to meet the needs of children and teenagers who have become trapped in a life of destitute poverty on the streets. The boys are driven to the streets by the poverty of their families, violence, being orphaned, trauma etc. Once on the streets they become addicted to glue, alcohol, sniffing petrol, cigarettes, or marijuana and usually have more than one addiction. They face a life of survival of the fittest. Operation Mercy Sudan provides the basic needs of any child: care, love, security, food, medicine and clothes; in addition we provide academic and spiritual education and counselling to help them deal with the past, the present and give them a hope for the future. In addition we are providing employment for many displaced people in our programme so helping to keep their families from destitution. The boys have school in the mornings. In the afternoons the older boys have vocational training and the younger boys have various activities. Another programme is to follow up the boys when they return to their relatives. This programme is increasing on a yearly basis; there are now 81 boys who have graduated from the centres. Operation Mercy Sudan is currently paying for the school education of 26 of these boys thanks to some donors in the UK. We also pay for University studies for 7 boys. This will need further funds next year. The boys have a spiritual programme once a week. We also have a full time staff member who visits the boys regularly.