Street Justice Web gallery
Amos Street Justice images and films from our projects around the world – Burundi, India, South Africa and Tanzania. Images by Bex Morton, Jules Klass, Tom Merilion, Christoph Stulz and Wilf Whitty.
Advocating for children’s rights
Since 1995, Karunalaya has been advocating for the rights of children and families living on the streets of Chennai, India. Over the past year, they have provided essential support to over 3,000 families facing extreme poverty and displacement.
Their work continues to tackle child marriage, child labour, and gender-based violence — issues that have been exacerbated by economic and social challenges in recent years.
Karunalaya provides transitional accommodation for boys and girls and works closely with child labourers and children in pavement-dwelling communities.
They place a strong emphasis on preventing child marriage by educating families and communities, promoting girls’ engagement in schooling, and encouraging participation in sports programmes to build confidence and resilience.
Karunalaya uses street theatre as a powerful tool
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Karunalaya uses street theatre as a powerful tool for pavement-dwelling communities to help children share the issues affecting their lives with their families and communities. They also support forming pavement-dwellers’ associations, empowering these communities to advocate for their rights and demand access to basic amenities.
“We aren’t begging for this or asking for it as a favour. It’s our human right. There is so much that needs to be done for children and families living on the street, and so many stories that need to be counted. They are backed up by a lifetime of experience.” Usha, 19 years old, Chennai
Karunalaya’s advocacy and campaigning efforts drive meaningful change by supporting children in active leadership roles within their communities, ensuring their voices, perspectives, and needs are heard and considered. This work has also gained media attention, particularly for championing the right of all street children to have birth registrations — a vital step toward accessing their fundamental rights.
Karunalaya works closely with pavement-dwelling communities
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Amos Trust is supporting Karunalaya’s safe shelter for girls in crisis alongside their wider work with pavement-dwelling communities. This includes providing education to help girls stay in school, counselling for families facing abuse, and creative activities like sports and drama to build confidence.
We also support their workshops, which address issues like violence and substance abuse while empowering communities to advocate for their rights.
To find out more about Karunalaya and their work, please watch our short film.
Photography: Mark Kensett and Tom Merilion
Street Justice resources
Take a look through our range of resources, including blog posts, downloads and products, to find out more about our Street Justice work.
Resources
Stories of Hope Doing Hope... in South Africa
Karin Joseph, Head of International Programmes at Amos Trust, has just returned from visiting our partner Umthombo in Durban, South Africa. Here, she writes an update on their work and how it continues to transform the lives of young people living in extremely dangerous situations.
Blog
Living On Air Raising awareness for street children
Amos Communities Engagement Manager Katie Hagley shares her experience of living on £5 for 5 days. "Tomorrow my family and I will start Amos Trust’s '£5 For 5 Day' challenge to raise money and awareness for street-connected children." Read how she got on and whether her family are still talking to her!
Blog
Kimbia Bila Shaka Run Without Fear
“I’ve never seen women overtake men before!” declared Mary as we sat and reflected on the race later that day. This run meant many other things for these girls too — it was the first time any of them had left Mwanza or flown on a plane, let alone completing the race and being awarded their medals! Amos Street Child lead worker Karin Joseph describes running the first Zanzibar Marathon with four new friends.
Blog
When distance doesn’t matter Why the On Her Terms campaign is so important
What can a group of women, from cities thousands of miles apart, almost all of whom don’t speak the same language, hope to gain from spending a week together in the UK? Karin Joseph talks about some of the reasons why Amos’ on her terms campaign are so important.
Blog
Karunalaya: Teaching ambition Why small victories are so important
“In spite of our heartbreak over Mali’s decision, we can recognise the small victory that is Mali’s choice in this, her completion of exams at 16 and her knowledge of women’s rights.” Azey Bennetts writes about the importance of small victories when working with girls on the streets of India.
Blog
Breathe Sharing our collective strength
“It’s like on a flight. When the flight attendant says, ‘Make sure you put your own breathing mask on first, before helping the person next to you.’ She is absolutely right. If we can’t breathe we are of no use to anyone.” Karin Joseph writes about the first On Her Terms conference in Devon in October 2018.
Blog
Extreme Altitudes Climbing Kili for Amos Trust
“Climbing Kilimanjaro has been on my bucket list for some time. At 5,895 metres it is both the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.” Neil Irving writes about ticking-off one item from his bucket list to raise funds for Amos Trust.
Blog
Restoring a Sense of Dignity Umthombo, South Africa
“On Her Terms is transforming the lives of girls and young women on the streets so that they can be free from abuse. We are journeying with them as they take control of their lives, challenging the daily injustices they experience.” Karin Joseph recently visited Umthombo — our On Her Terms partner in Durban, South Africa. Here she writes about some of the difficulties of journeying with girls and young women who live on the streets.
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